The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) rolled out a new rule on Thursday limiting how long foreign students can remain in the country, closing a loophole that officials say has allowed some foreign nationals to become “forever students.”
For decades, foreign students on F class visas were permitted to stay for the “duration of status,” essentially meaning as long as they were enrolled in higher education courses. The proposed rule follows President Donald Trump’s decision on Monday to allow 600,000 students from China to enroll at American universities, drawing backlash from many of his supporters.
DHS officials argue that the proposed rule addresses an open-ended policy that has been abused, with some foreign nationals stretching their student status beyond reasonable limits.
“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 amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” said a DHS spokesperson. “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 their history.”
The proposed rule would cap the length of stay at the duration of the academic program, but not beyond four years. After that, students would have to reapply to remain in the U.S., allowing DHS to review their cases regularly.
The rule was originally introduced in 2020 under the first Trump administration but was withdrawn by the Biden administration in 2021, according to DHS.
On Monday, Trump announced plans to allow 600,000 Chinese students to study in the U.S., marking what some have described as a reversal from the administration’s earlier policy moves.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio in May announced that the State Department would begin “aggressively” revoking visas from Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party. Additionally, Trump signed a proclamation in June aimed at blocking Harvard University from admitting new international students under the Visa program, citing national security concerns.
Recent incidents on U.S. campuses have heightened concerns about Chinese espionage, notably at the University of Michigan, where two Chinese nationals were arrested in June for allegedly smuggling biological materials into the country.
DHS declined the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for further comment.
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