US judge blocks Trump visa time limits for foreign students and journalists

A US federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from implementing new limits on how long foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists may remain in the United States without applying for extensions.

Reuters reported that US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston ruled for a coalition of unions and higher-education advocacy groups on Monday, one day before the Department of Homeland Security rule was due to take effect.

The policy would have replaced the long-standing “duration of status” system for many international students with fixed periods. F visas for international students and J visas used for cultural exchange programmes would have been capped at four years, while journalist I visas would generally have been limited to 240 days.

Saylor found that the government’s national-security and fraud-prevention justifications were exceptionally weak and that officials had not adequately addressed concerns about the policy or considered less burdensome alternatives.

The judge also warned that the changes could impose major costs on US universities and reduce international enrolment. Reuters said about 1.6 million people currently hold F visas and roughly 500,000 hold J visas.

Source: Reuters.

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