US federal judge blocks rule limiting visa duration for foreign students and journalists

A US federal judge on Monday blocked a new rule from the Trump administration which was to limit the length of stay in the United States of foreign students and journalists. The measure would have required them to request an extension of their visa to stay in the country beyond a specified period.

Without ruling on the merits, Judge F. Dennis Saylor of Boston (north-east) postpones until further notice the entry into force of this regulation, scheduled for September 15. It thus grants the request of organizations representing higher education establishments, professors and unions, including one representing journalists and other communication professions.

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According to this regulation published in July in the Federal Register, the American equivalent of the Official Journal, foreign nationals holding a student visa would not be authorized to stay more than four years on American territory. Foreign journalists would, for their part, be limited to stays of 240 days, or approximately eight months, while being able to request renewals for identical periods. Chinese journalists would be subject to a particularly restrictive framework, with visas limited to 90 days. Until now, the United States granted visas for the duration of a student's program and up to five years for a journalist.