US Unions and Advocacy Groups File Lawsuit to Block Restrictive Visa Rules for Foreign Students and Journalists

US President Donald Trump holds up his fist while boarding Air Force One at Morristown airport, August 16, 2026, in Morristown, NJ [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP]. A coalition of unions and advocacy groups in the United States has initiated legal action against the federal government, aiming to halt a regulation that restricts the duration foreign students and journalists can stay in the country without seeking extensions.

Filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Tuesday, the lawsuit asserts that the modifications will prove “catastrophic” for academic institutions, international students, and scholars alike.

The Department of Homeland Security introduced a new regulation establishing fixed timeframes for F visas intended for international students, J visas for cultural exchange program participants working in the US, and I visas designated for members of the media. Previously, these visas remained valid for the entire duration of the individual's program or employment within the US.

Under the upcoming regulations scheduled for implementation on September 15, student and exchange visa durations will be capped at a maximum of four years. Meanwhile, journalist visas, which currently can extend for several years, will be restricted to 240 days or shortened to 90 days specifically for Chinese nationals.

“They will discourage foreign students and other nonimmigrants from coming to the United States, repelled by the intolerable prospect of losing lawful immigration status partway through their studies,” the lawsuit states. “Students will lose opportunities, schools will lose talent, and the public will lose billions of dollars of economic contributions supported by one of the United States’ top exports: education.”

In response, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson dismissed the lawsuit as “performative.” The spokesperson added, “If the media really cared about legitimate international students, they would be thanking President [Donald] Trump for cracking down on the rampant fraud to ensure only those truly intending to study in the United States are given the privilege,” offering no evidence to substantiate the claim of fraud.

US NewsGuild-CWA President Jon Schleuss condemned the new regulation as a direct assault on journalists. Similarly, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers national teachers’ union, accused the US of “breaking the law for its own political purposes and, in doing so, is hurting Americans and American enterprise,” while utilizing international students as “pawns.” Weingarten stated, “This latest assault on knowledge by the Trump administration arbitrarily limits how long international scholars have to complete their studies and risks turning a welcoming environment for students into a hostile one.”