Unions, advocacy groups sue to overturn US visa rule for foreign students, journalists

Key facts

• A coalition of unions and advocacy groups filed a lawsuit against the federal government.
• The lawsuit aims to block a new rule limiting the duration of F, J, and I visas for foreign students, journalists, and cultural exchange visitors.
• Under the new regulations, student and exchange visas would be limited to four years, and journalist visas to 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals.
• The rule is set to take effect on September 15.
• Plaintiffs argue the changes will harm universities, students, and the U.S. economy, and constitute an attack on journalism.

A coalition of unions and advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to block a new rule from the Department of Homeland Security that would limit the duration of visas for foreign students, journalists, and cultural exchange visitors. The rule, set to take effect on September 15, would cap student and exchange visas at four years and journalist visas at 240 days, or 90 days for Chinese nationals.

The plaintiffs argue that these changes will have "catastrophic" consequences for universities, international students, and scholars, potentially discouraging them from coming to the U.S. and resulting in billions of dollars in lost economic contributions from international education. The NewsGuild-CWA, which represents many U.S. journalists, described the rule as an "attack on journalists."

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security defended the rule, calling the lawsuit "performative" and asserting that it aims to crack down on fraud to ensure only those genuinely intending to study in the U.S. receive the privilege, though no evidence of alleged fraud was provided.