US Judge Halts Trump Visa Rules for Foreign Students, Journalists

WASHINGTON: (News Desk) – A US federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from implementing new visa rules that would impose tighter limits on the length of stay for foreign students and journalists.

District Judge Dennis Saylor issued a preliminary injunction on Monday, just one day before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rules were due to take effect. The judge scheduled a further hearing for October 2.

Under the proposed policy, international students would be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum of four years before applying for an extension. Under the existing system, students can stay for the duration of their academic programmes.

The proposed rules would also reduce the permitted stay for foreign journalists to 240 days, or about eight months, with the option to seek extensions. Previously, journalists could receive stays of up to five years. Chinese journalists would face an initial 90-day limit, with extensions also restricted to 90 days.

The case was brought by a coalition of university, teacher and journalist unions challenging the administration’s visa restrictions.

While Saylor did not issue a final ruling on the legality of the policy, his accompanying memorandum raised serious concerns about the proposed changes.

The judge noted that the existing visa system has enabled tens of millions of international students to study in the United States, contributing to major advances in science, medicine and technology as well as significant economic growth.

Saylor questioned DHS’s decision to replace the existing system with rules that could significantly reduce the number of foreign students, researchers, professors and journalists entering or remaining in the country.

He also criticised provisions that would give DHS officials broad discretion to deny visa extensions, with limited criteria and no avenue for appeal.

The judge warned that such powers could disrupt the academic, research and teaching activities of non-US citizens without meaningful recourse.

Saylor expressed particular concern over foreign journalists, saying the lack of an appeal process could create opportunities for abuse, including the possibility that journalists critical of the US government or DHS officials could face difficulties renewing their visas.

DHS had defended the proposed restrictions on national security grounds. However, Saylor said the justification appeared largely based on a limited number of individual incidents and questioned the strength of the argument.

The visa proposal forms part of the Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown, which includes tougher enforcement measures and restrictions on legal immigration pathways.

The United States hosted more than 1.1 million international students during the 2023-24 academic year, making it the world’s leading destination for international education.