Lead
The Trump administration has finalized new regulations that will set fixed time limits on visas for international students, exchange visitors, and journalists, according to reports from Dawn and The Hindu. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final rule introducing a "fixed period of admission" for F (students), J (exchange visitors), and I (journalists) visas, replacing the previous practice where these visas were valid for the duration of the program or employment.
The new rules, which take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register (subject to congressional review), are part of the administration's broader immigration crackdown, which has already included revoking student visas and green cards over ideological views and stripping legal status from hundreds of thousands of migrants, as reported by Dawn.
Coverage Comparison
Dawn, a Pakistani English-language daily, framed the changes as "new hurdles" for international students, exchange workers, and foreign journalists, emphasizing the administration's increased scrutiny of legal immigration. The Hindu, an Indian newspaper of record, took a more neutral tone, focusing on the order's official rationale and its impact on the "knowledge sector." Both outlets reported the core provisions: maximum four-year stays for students and exchange visitors, reduced grace periods for F-1 visa holders, and specific limits on journalist visas.
Key Claims
The new rules, as described by both Dawn and The Hindu, establish that non-immigrant students and exchange visitors will be allowed to stay for the length of their specific programmes, not to exceed a maximum period of four years. PhD students, however, will only be granted four years of stay, a detail reported by The Hindu.
The 60-day grace period that F-1 visa holders previously had after graduation—to plan for departure, transfer schools, or change educational status—has been reduced to 30 days, according to both outlets.
For journalists holding I visas, the duration is now limited to 240 days, or 90 days in the case of Chinese nationals, as reported by both Dawn and The Hindu. Visa holders may apply for extensions, as Dawn noted.
The DHS order cites national security concerns and the need to restore "integrity to the nation's immigration system," according to The Hindu. Dawn reported that the order was designed to close the so-called "Duration of Status loophole," which allegedly allowed foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives to remain in the U.S. indefinitely without routine government oversight.
The regulations also prohibit graduate students from changing their "educational objectives" at any point or transferring to another school without authorization, as reported by Dawn.
Additional context from Dawn: there were more than 1.8 million student visa admissions in 2024, a more than 11% increase over the previous year. The Hindu added that the U.S. granted visas to more than 500,000 exchange visitors and 37,300 members of the media in fiscal year 2024. The significant increase in such visitors "poses a challenge to DHS's ability to monitor and oversee these non-immigrants while they are in the United States," according to the order, as reported by multiple outlets.
In August, China's foreign ministry opposed the proposed new rule for Chinese journalists as discriminatory, Dawn reported. The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to requests for comment at the time.
Perspectives
The Chinese government has publicly opposed the new rules, with the foreign ministry labeling the proposed restrictions on Chinese journalists as discriminatory, according to Dawn. This position contrasts with the U.S. administration's stated justification of national security and immigration system integrity.
The Indian and Pakistani media outlets both highlighted concerns about the impact on the knowledge sector, but no other named institutions or officials were quoted expressing opposition in the material provided.
This article is based on reports from Dawn and The Hindu.