US unions sue over new visa rule for foreign students, journalists

What the report says

A coalition of US unions and advocacy groups has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts challenging a new Trump administration immigration rule that would shorten how long foreign students and journalists can stay in the United States without seeking an extension. The case was filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

The rule, issued by the Department of Homeland Security, would put fixed limits on several visa categories. For international students on F visas and exchange visitors on J visas, the maximum stay would be four years. For members of the media on I visas, the limit would generally be 240 days, with a shorter 90-day period for Chinese nationals, the report said. Those visas now typically last for the duration of a program or job assignment.

The plaintiffs said the change would disrupt universities, scholars and international students, and could discourage people from studying in the US. In the filing, they argued that schools could lose talent and the wider economy could lose the spending linked to international education. The rule is scheduled to take effect on September 15.

A Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit and said the administration was acting to prevent visa abuse, though the agency did not provide evidence in the article for the fraud claim. The dispute adds to broader tensions over immigration, higher education and press access under President Donald Trump’s policies.