Unions, advocacy groups sue to overturn US visa rule for foreign students, journalists

A coalition of unions and advocacy groups in the United States filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the federal government in an attempt to block a new rule that will limit the length of time foreign students and journalists can stay in the country without applying for extensions. The rule, issued by the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, sets a maximum of four years for F visas, J visas for cultural exchange programs and I visas for media members.

Currently, these visas are valid for the duration of the program or employment in the U.S. The proposed changes would restrict student and exchange visa periods to no more than four years, while journalists' visas would be limited to 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, argues that the changes would cause catastrophic consequences for universities, international students, scholars, and the U.S. news media.

The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents many U.S. journalists, including those at Reuters, contends that the rule will discourage foreign students and nonimmigrants from coming to the United States and will lead to the loss of talent, opportunities, and billions of dollars in economic contributions from education, a top U.S. export.

A DHS spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as "performative," implying that if the media truly cared about international students, they would support President Trump's efforts to combat fraud and ensure that only those genuinely intending to study in the U.S. are granted visas.