US judge postpones new visa rules for foreign students, journalists

On Monday, a US federal judge postponed the implementation of new visa rules announced by the Trump administration, which would have imposed stricter limits on foreign students and journalists studying or working in the United States. District Judge Dennis Saylor issued the preliminary injunction just a day before the DHS rules were set to take effect.

The proposed changes would have allowed foreign students to stay in the US for a maximum of four years, compared to the current unlimited duration of their studies. International students were previously permitted to stay for the duration of their studies. Journalists would have been limited to eight-month stays, with the possibility of extending their stays for another eight months, whereas they could previously stay up to five years.

A coalition of unions representing universities, teachers, and journalists filed a lawsuit challenging the visa restrictions. Saylor put the implementation on hold without ruling on the merits of the case and scheduled a hearing for October 2. However, he expressed skepticism about the visa restrictions, pointing out the benefits the current system has brought to the United States.

The judge highlighted that tens of millions of foreign students have come to the US under the current system, leading to groundbreaking research in science, medicine, technology, and substantial economic growth. He criticized the DHS for replacing the successful system with a new one that significantly restricts the number of foreign students, researchers, professors, and journalists.

Under the new rules, DHS officials would have the power to unilaterally and unappealably deny visa extensions for any non-US citizen, based on limited and vague criteria. This could lead to abusive practices, particularly for foreign journalists critical of the government or DHS officials. The judge deemed the national security argument put forth by DHS as "absurd" and based on a small number of anecdotes.

The visa restrictions were part of a broader immigration crackdown by President Donald Trump, which included aggressive enforcement operations and new restrictions on legal pathways to citizenship. The United States welcomed over 1.1 million international students in the 2023-24 academic year, more than any other country.