Trump Proposes 'Time Limit' On Student Visas In Move To Remove Immigrants

In yet another blow to foreign students in the US, the Donald Trump administration has proposed a controversial rule that could reshape how long international students and visitors can stay in the country. The move comes amid Trump's aggressive stance on removing illegal immigrants and eliminating anti-semitism on campuses in the US.

The plan, which was proposed by Trump in 2020 during his first tenure, seeks to replace the current flexible student visa system with a fixed period of stay. If approved, each foreign visa will have an expiry date.

Presently, international students holding F-1 visas and exchange visitors on J-1 visas are granted a 'duration of status' that allows foreign students, exchange visitors, and representatives of foreign media to stay in the US as long as they maintain full-time enrollment. However, with the new proposal, they will receive a fixed period of stay in the country, following which they will be forced to apply for extensions periodically.

More details of the proposal are not known yet.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has submitted the proposal for an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review - which is among the final steps before a proposed rule is published in the Federal Register.

Trump's crackdown on foreign students, illegal immigrants

Donald Trump's crackdown on top universities in the United States began aggressively within a few months of the Republican leader taking office for the second term. Trump, who is seeking to eliminate anti-semitism on campuses and push his demands, had even accused his predecessor, Joe Biden, of letting the universities off the hook.

Harvard was the latest to have fallen prey to the crackdown when the White House put a $2.2 billion freeze on federal funding. Trump had put forth a few conditions to revoke the ban on federal funding, but Harvard refused. Following this, Trump barred foreign nationals from entering the US to study at the Ivy League university. Last month, however, a federal judge blocked Trump from implementing his plan.

Additionally, Trump has reportedly implemented a two-track plan to reduce the unauthorised population in the US. One track focuses on arrests and deportations, prioritising criminals. The other track encourages self-deportation through registration programmes, financial incentives, and public awareness campaigns.