Trump admin to propose rule seeking to limit how long international students can study in US

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is expected to publish a proposed rule on the Federal Register on Thursday that seeks to limit the amount of time foreign students can study in the United States.

Foreign students can currently stay in the United States on a student visa for as long as they are enrolled at a college full-time, but the proposed rule would limit their stay to the duration of their program, with a cap at four years.

The proposal comes after President Donald Trump signaled on Monday that the United States would accept up to 600,000 Chinese college students as part of his trade talks with Beijing.

A DHS spokesperson told Politico on Wednesday that the proposed rule is meant to fix a system that was abused by foreign students who tried to stay in the country indefinitely.

“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” the spokesperson said. “This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and history.”

Foreign students who need to stay in the United States past the four-year limit can appeal their case to the DHS, which would evaluate the situation. 

Democrats have warned that adopting the rule could deter international students who want to come to the United States for education by adding more hurdles to the application process. 

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.