Study for 4 years, then go home: US caps student visas at 4 years

The Trump administration has unveiled sweeping restrictions on how long foreign students and journalists may remain in the United States, capping student and exchange visitor visas at a maximum of four years. The new rules effectively end what had been an indefinitely renewable status and are expected to take effect as early as the fall semester in September.

The Department of Homeland Security announced the final rule Thursday (local time), requiring holders of F visas for international students and J visas for exchange visitors to leave the United States after a maximum of four years.

The core change is a fixed duration of stay. Under the previous system, students could have their visas automatically extended as long as they remained enrolled in an accredited program. Under the new rule, anyone who has been in the country for four years must undergo a strict review to obtain approval for an extension. It is the first overhaul of the system since its introduction in 1978.

DHS said the measure is a security step aimed at stopping so-called "forever students" — people who exploit loopholes in the immigration system to delay their departure by remaining perpetually enrolled.

"Since 1978, foreign students have been able to enter the United States without a fixed time limit, allowing thousands of students to become 'forever students' by continuously enrolling in classes to avoid leaving the country," DHS said. "This final rule will end that abuse."

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the outdated system had "created an environment that threatens national security and allows immigration fraud to flourish." He added that the final rule would refocus foreign students on their original purpose — completing their studies and returning home.

The rule applies retroactively to students already in the United States, not just new visa applicants, meaning it is expected to hit the Korean student community in America directly.

According to the South Korean Embassy in Washington, 11,861 Korean nationals are currently in the United States on F-1 student visas, with an additional 1,347 accompanying family members on F-2 visas — putting more than 13,200 people immediately in the affected group. When the roughly 11,100 Koreans and their families on J exchange visitor visas are included, the scope of impact widens further.

Particularly severe disruption is expected for students in undergraduate and doctoral programs, where study periods routinely exceed four years. Students who factor in language training, double majors, thesis writing or other delays risk losing their legal status once they hit the four-year ceiling. Changing majors will also face heightened scrutiny. DHS said it will impose strict limits on extensions sought on the basis of a change of major, carefully examining whether the change is genuinely necessary.

The stay of foreign journalists holding I visas will also be sharply curtailed, to 240 days. The 349 I-visa holders in the United States — including Korean correspondents — will now be required to undergo a rigorous renewal review every 240 days.

According to Reuters, about 1.8 million foreign students are currently studying in the United States. International media outlets have characterized the move as the defining measure of the Trump administration's broader push to raise the bar for legal immigration, warning it could lead global talent to avoid the United States altogether. The new rule takes full effect in mid-September, 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register.