A U.S. federal court has blocked the Donald Trump administration's new immigration rule that sought to limit the length of stay in the United States for international students and foreign journalists.
On the 14th, local time, Reuters said Dennis Saylor, a federal judge in Boston, Massachusetts, sided with the plaintiffs in a lawsuit brought by labor unions and education and immigration groups. The decision came just one day before the new rule was to take effect. As a result, implementation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s new rule appears likely to be halted.
The new rule the court ordered paused would abolish the so-called "Duration of Status (D/S)" system, which has applied to international students (F visas), exchange and training visitors (J visas), and foreign journalists (I visas), and instead impose time limits on stays by visa category.
Previously, as long as activities matched the purpose of the visa, such as study, research, or reporting, one could remain in the United States without a separate stay-extension application, but if the new rule took effect, F and J visas would be limited to a maximum of four years and I visas to a maximum of 240 days. To remain in the United States after that, applicants would have had to apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an extension and receive approval.
The plaintiffs argued the new rule would hinder stable study and research by international students and researchers, and could burden U.S. educational institutions in attracting foreign talent. They also raised concern that setting stay limits for foreign journalists and requiring extension reviews could restrict reporting activities and undermine press independence.