Kathmandu. The Trump administration has proposed new rules to set stay limits for certain visa categories. The proposal will affect foreign students, professors, doctors and some other visa holders.
The U.S. government says it will stop the misuse of visas. The U.S. says it will improve security checks and ease surveillance.
According to the new proposal, it will not be possible to stay in the US for too long without further scrutiny. The move is seen as a step to tighten the earlier relaxed system.
Visa limit for foreign students
A large part of the proposal will apply to students and exchange visitors coming to the U.S. for study or research. Until now, many students had lived in the United States for long periods of time during their studies or programs, and their periods remained open due to arrangements such as the ‘Duration of Status’.
Visa will not be valid for more than 4 years
The new proposal speaks of ending this openness. The U.S. government wants to set a clear deadline of four years. That is, the authorized entry and extension period of the student or exchange visitor shall not exceed a total of four years. This limitation means that students and institutions must plan to complete their study and research programs within the stipulated time.
New strategy for foreign media representatives
The US is also going to make separate arrangements for foreign media representatives. Their initial stay in the US will be 240 days. If needed, it can be extended by another 240 days. However, this total period cannot exceed the length of their temporary tenure. That is, if a media representative has a tenure of six months, he will not be allowed to stay in america for more than that. In this way, the US government wants to bring the temporary work and stay period of journalists in line. So that the rules are clear and any kind of uncertainty is reduced.
Need to do this to extend the visa period
Under this proposal, if the US visa holder wants to extend his stay, he will have to submit a formal application. This application will go to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). This will be followed by a security and background assessment. This means the extended period will no longer be granted automatically, but the U.S. government will investigate and approve each case.
The actual needs of the program, the progress of the study and aspects related to safety will be taken care of. “This will increase transparency and better monitor cases where people sit for long periods of time without sufficient reason,” the U.S. government said. ’
The Trump administration argues that some visa holders were able to stay in the US for too long due to relaxations in previous policies. Which increased security risks and burdened taxpayers. According to them, the new system will ensure that students, exchange visitors or anyone who comes as a media is limited to their programs and assignments.
In addition, the immigration system will have the opportunity to check and certify them from time to time. It will keep the records up to date and the rules will also be strictly followed.
From the point of view of the student community, a 4-year limit may be sufficient for many undergraduate and some postgraduate programs. However, for those with long courses or for students who need time for research, they will have to prepare in advance for timely expansion.
It will also be important for U.S. universities to provide timely advice to students through their international offices. So that the documents are completed and the applications are not delayed. U.S. organizations running exchange programs will also have to plan their calendars in such a way that participants gain full experience within a range of 4 years.
Overall, this proposal adds a certain timeline to the visa system. Its purpose is to make the rules strict and clear. So that people going to the U.S. for studies, research, temporary media work, and other programs can stay as long as they really need to.
