US judge-visa rule

▲ This file photo, released by Reuters, shows U.S. President Donald Trump speaking during a meeting with travel executives in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington on Sept. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. federal judge on Monday blocked U.S. President Donald Trump's administration from enforcing a new rule restricting how long foreign students, journalists and other nonimmigrants can stay in the United States without a visa extension, according to a report.

U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor in Boston issued the ruling, Reuters reported, a day before the Trump administration was set to start implementing the rule, which was expected to affect more than 13,000 South Koreans currently in the U.S. under visa programs subject to the rule.

The Department of Homeland Security unveiled the rule in July to address what it called "visa abuse" by foreign students, exchange visitors and media representatives, as the administration doubled down on its immigration crackdown.

Under the rule, the administration was to cap the duration of stay for nonimmigrant students on F visas and exchange visitors on J visas at four years. The rule also would have limited the initial period of stay for most foreign journalists to 240 days, after which they would have to apply for an extension of up to 240 days.

As of 2025, 11,861 South Korean students were in the U.S. on F-1 visas, while 1,347 family members were accompanying them on F-2 visas, according to the South Korean Embassy in Washington.

The number of Korean I visa holders stood at 349, while 7,985 Koreans were in the U.S. on J-1 exchange visitor visas, accompanied by 3,180 family members.

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