Trump Visa Rules Put on Hold by US Court

A Boston federal district court has temporarily blocked the implementation of new visa rules proposed by US President Donald Trump’s administration. The Department of Homeland Security had proposed limits on how long international students, exchange visitors and foreign journalists could remain in the United States. The court issued its decision just a day before the rules were scheduled to take effect, providing temporary relief to those who could have been affected.

The court observed that the reasons cited by the Department of Homeland Security did not fully justify replacing a system that had been in place for more than five decades. It also warned that the proposed rules could lead to a decline in university admissions and negatively affect the US higher education sector and economy. Under the proposed changes, F-1 students would have faced the removal of the existing ‘duration of status’ system, while J-1 exchange visitors and I-visa holders working in the media would have been subject to specified periods of stay. The rules could have affected more than 300,000 Indian students and visitors, making the court’s decision a temporary relief for them.