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13m ago

DHS Proposes Four-Year Limits on Student, Exchange and Media Visas

DHS opened a 30-day comment window on a rule that would replace open-ended “duration of status” with a four-year cap to facilitate closer oversight.

A general view of a U.S. State Department sign outside the U.S. State Department building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo
Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Image for illustration purposes only.
Travelers use a mobile phone at Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo
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Overview

  • The Department of Homeland Security filed the proposal Wednesday in the Federal Register as the administration tightens legal-immigration oversight.
  • The measure would fix F, J and I visas at four years, replacing program-based stays and requiring holders to apply for extensions or change status to remain longer.
  • DHS says the limits would improve monitoring of a rapidly expanded population, with about 1.6 million F students in 2024 and roughly 355,000 J and 13,000 I visas issued in fiscal 2024.
  • The public has 30 days to comment on a plan that mirrors a 2020 proposal later withdrawn in 2021 after opposition from groups such as NAFSA.
  • The proposal follows stepped-up enforcement including student-visa revocations, expanded social media screening announced in June, and an Aug. 22 USCIS memo reviving neighborhood visits to verify residency and character.