The administration of United States President Donald Trump has unveiled plans to impose new limits on the length of stay for foreign students, cultural exchange participants, and journalists.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Wednesday that the proposed changes are aimed at tackling “visa abuse” and improving the government’s ability to monitor foreign visa holders.

“For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging U.S. citizens,” an unnamed DHS spokesperson said in a news release.

Under the plan, F visas for international students and J visas for cultural exchange participants would be capped at four years, while I visas for journalists would be restricted to 240 days, with the possibility of extension. Journalists from China would face even stricter rules, limited to just 90 days.

Previously, student visas were typically granted for the full duration of an academic programme. Critics fear that the new limits could disadvantage international students, particularly those pursuing PhD programmes or research that extend beyond four years.

Foreign students account for about 1.6 million enrolments in U.S. higher education, often paying higher tuition fees than domestic students. The Trump administration has accused some of using their visas to remain in the country indefinitely.

“Foreign students have taken advantage of US generosity and have become ‘forever’ students, perpetually enrolled in higher education courses to remain in the US,” DHS said.

The move forms part of broader immigration restrictions under Trump’s presidency. Earlier this year, the administration temporarily suspended all student visa applications and later announced increased monitoring of applicants’ social media activity. Thousands of visas have also been revoked since January, some linked to political activism, including pro-Palestine demonstrations.

One high-profile case involved Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student arrested after co-authoring an op-ed urging her university to cut ties with Israel. Although released in May following a legal battle, she still faces possible deportation.

DHS said the new time caps would require visa holders to apply for extensions, allowing authorities to carry out “regular assessments” of their eligibility to remain in the U.S.