The Trump Administration has announced the Restriction of International Student Visa and The new US Student Visa Policy will limit most foreign students to a Maximum Stay of Four years in the United States unless they have the approval of the federal government to retain their stay.
As announced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the new regulation will take effect from September 2026. This new policy will no longer allow students to remain in the country to complete the duration of their programs, as some programs exceeds more than four years.
The US Student Visa Policy
Under the new policy, International students are allowed to stay in the country up to four years. Students who need additional time to complete their studies must reapply through the permission of DHS. This rule also affect changes in Students academic program.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that New rule will help to prevent the abuse of student visas by having a fixed limit. The rule will also help the immigration officials to ensure that international students go through proper documentation and seek approval when extending their program.
Higher education organizations opposed the rule, saying that this will create an administrative burden for Universities and the government. That International students are already under close scrutiny by the Immigration and also through academic reporting systems. They also warned that this policy could make student to stop applying for programs or seek higher education in United state.
The new policy includes applicants disclosure of their social media accounts during visa screening. Travel restrictions has been placed affecting many applicants from different countries.
Some Educational leaders warned that this could bring declining of student enrollment in schools, particularly at schools that heavily rely on foreign students. As they mostly paid higher tuition fee making them an important source of revenue for many institutions.
