The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has introduced a new rule that would impose fixed time limits on visas for Nigerian and other international students, exchange visitors and foreign journalists, marking another step in President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown.
According to a government notice published on July 16, the rule would replace the current system that allows holders of F visas for students, J visas for cultural exchange participants and I visas for foreign media to remain in the United States for the duration of their academic programme or employment.
The regulation is scheduled to take effect 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register, subject to congressional review.
The latest proposal comes as the Trump administration continues to tighten immigration policies after the president returned to office in January 2025.
The administration has already increased scrutiny of legal immigration by revoking student visas and green cards of some university students over their ideological views and ending the legal status of hundreds of thousands of migrants.
