The Donald Trump administration on Wednesday proposed to limit the length of stay for visa holders such as students, cultural exchange visitors and journalists in the United States.

“New rule will limit the amount of time that foreign students, professors, physicians and other visa holders are allowed to remain in the United States without additional screening and vetting,” a proposed government regulation issued on Wednesday said.

The changes would curb “visa abuse” and increase the “Department of Homeland Security’s ability to properly vet and oversee these individuals”, it added.

This comes amid a growing crackdown on immigration launched by Trump in his second term.

The proposed regulations announced on Wednesday would require visa holders to apply for extensions periodically, instead of enjoying a more flexible legal status.

Since 1978, foreign students, or F visa holders, could stay in the US for their “duration of status” or as long as they were enrolled as a full-time student.

However, this system has allowed foreign students to take “advantage of US generosity” by becoming “forever students”, the Department of Homeland Security stated.

The draft rules propose capping visas for students and exchange visitors at a maximum of four years.

Following this period, the students would have to either shift to a work-based visa or apply for an extension, Newsweek reported.

For foreign journalists, or I visa holders, the draft proposes a limit of 240 days and 90 days for Chinese nationals.

The I visa holders can apply for an extension up to 240 days subject to regular assessment by the Department of Homeland Security. However, an extension cannot exceed the duration of the temporary assignment.

The public has 30 days to comment on the draft rules, Reuters reported.

In 2020, a similar proposal was announced at the end of Trump’s first term, but it was withdrawn by the Joe Biden administration in 2021.

As of 2024, there were about 1.6 million international students on F visas in the US.

In 2023-’24, authorities also granted 13,000 visas for journalists and more than 3.5 lakh J visas meant for cultural exchange visitors.

Since taking office in his second term in January, Trump has announced several measures as part of his immigration crackdown.

Earlier this month, the Trump administration said that it was reviewing more than 55 million persons who had valid visas for any violations that could lead to deportation.

Other directives include the deportation of undocumented migrants using military aircraft, as well as imposing additional security measures on foreign students applying to American educational institutes.

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