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US President Donald Trump’s administration moved on Thursday to impose stricter limits on how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States, the latest bid to tighten legal immigration in the country.

Under a proposed change, foreigners would not be allowed to stay for more than four years on student visas in the US.

Foreign journalists would be limited to stays of just 240 days, although they could apply to extend by additional 240-day periods — except for Chinese journalists who would get just 90 days.

The US, until now, has generally issued visas for the duration of a student’s educational programme or a journalist’s assignment, although no non-immigrant visas are valid for more than 10 years.

The proposed changes were published in the Federal Register, initiating a short period for public comment before they can go into effect.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security alleged that an unspecified number of foreigners were indefinitely extending their studies so they could remain in the country as “‘forever’ students.”

“For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the US virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars and disadvantaging US citizens,” the department said in a press statement Wednesday.

The department did not explain how US citizens and taxpayers were hurt by international students, who according to Commerce Department statistics contributed more than $50 billion to the US economy in 2023.

The United States welcomed more than 1.1 million international students in the 2023-24 academic year, more than any other country, providing a crucial source of revenue as foreigners generally pay full tuition.

A group representing leaders of US colleges and universities denounced the latest move as a needless bureaucratic hurdle that intrudes on academic decision-making and could further deter potential students who would otherwise contribute to research and job creation.

“This proposed rule sends a message to talented individuals from around the world that their contributions are not valued in the United States,” said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

“This is not only detrimental to international students — it also weakens the ability of US colleges and universities to attract top talent, diminishing our global competitiveness.”

Backlash

The announcement came as universities were starting their academic years with many reporting lower enrollments of international students after earlier actions by the Trump administration.

But Trump also heard rare criticism within his base when he mused Monday that he would like to double the number of Chinese students in the United States to 600,000 as he hailed warm relations with counterpart Xi Jinping.

His remarks marked a sharp departure from Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s earlier vow to “aggressively” rescind visas of Chinese students.

The State Department said last week it had overall revoked 6,000 student visas since Trump took office, in part due to Rubio’s targeting of campus activists who led demonstrations against Israel.

Trump has also suspended billions of dollars in federal research funds to universities, with his administration contending they have not acted against antisemitism, and Congress has sharply raised taxes on private universities’ endowments.

In a speech before he was elected, Vice President JD Vance said conservatives must attack universities, which he described as “the enemy.”

Trump, at the end of his first term, had proposed curbing the duration of journalist visas, but his successor Joe Biden scrapped the idea.

A White House official has described Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine as Indian Prime Minister Narendra “Modi’s war”, stepping up pressure on Delhi to stop buying oil from Moscow.

US Trade Adviser Peter Navarro’s comments came hours after US tariffs of 50% on Indian goods kicked in on Wednesday.

The tariffs, among the highest in the world, include a 25% penalty for purchase of weapons and oil from Russia which, the US claims, is a key source of funds for its war in Ukraine.

India has called the tariffs unfair and says it will not scale back purchases, insisting it will seek the “best deal” on oil to safeguard the interests of its 1.4 billion people.

Russia, which supplied less than 2% of India’s crude before it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, now accounts for 35-40% of Delhi’s oil imports, making it the largest source.

But India has pointed out that the US has not imposed similar additional tariffs on China, which is the largest importer of Russian oil, or the European Union, which still conducts a huge amount of trade with Russia.

Navarro’s iteration of the US position came in an interview with Bloomberg TV.

“Everybody in America loses because of what India is doing. The consumers and businesses and everything lose, and workers lose because India’s high tariffs cost us jobs, factories and income and higher wages. And then the taxpayers lose because we got to fund Modi’s war,” he was quoted saying.

When asked if he actually meant “Putin’s war” instead, Mr Navarro said: “I mean Modi’s war, because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi.”

Navarro then went on to add: “What’s troubling to me is that the Indians are so arrogant about this. They say, ‘Oh, we don’t have higher tariffs. Oh, it’s our sovereignty. We can buy oil from anyone we want.’ India, you’re the biggest democracy in the world, okay, act like one.”

Navarro’s comments came on the day US tariffs of 50% on goods from India took effect, a move that will disrupt millions of livelihoods across the country’s export-driven industries. India supplies everything, from clothes to diamonds and shrimp to American consumers.

But despite the war of words between Delhi and Washington – and cancellation of trade negotiations which were set to begin earlier this week – there is still hope of a way out for India, which remains a vital strategic US partner in the Indo-Pacific region.

Analysts say comments by another US official – Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent – expressing confidence in bilateral ties with India point in that direction.

“I do think India’s the world’s largest democracy; the US is the world’s largest economy. I think at the end of the day we will come together,” Mr Bessent said in an interview with Fox Business on Wednesday.

The tariff setback has sent the Indian government into firefighting mode. Delhi has said the immediate impact on Indian exports appears limited, but the ripple effects on the economy pose challenges that require immediate solutions.

Earlier this month, Modi promised to cut taxes to mitigate the impact of tariffs.

In its monthly review report for July released on Wednesday, India’s finance ministry said that ongoing India-US trade negotiations “will be crucial” in this regard.

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