The United States government has announced a significant reduction in visa durations for foreign journalists, cutting the maximum stay from five years to 240 days.
Chinese journalists face even stricter limits, with visas capped at 90 days under the new policy.
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) introduced the regulation, eliminating the long-standing 'duration of status' system that allowed media workers to remain indefinitely while meeting eligibility criteria.
National Security Justification
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that the outdated system compromised national security and enabled immigration fraud.
'For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the US indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system,' he said.
The policy also affects international students and exchange visitors, who the government claims previously stayed without routine federal oversight.
Mullin emphasized that implementing definite limitations allows the US to reclaim its capacity to screen, vet, and monitor individuals within its borders.
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Media advocacy groups strongly oppose the change. Reporters Without Borders expressed outrage, stating the reduction from five years to eight months is cruel.
The Committee to Protect Journalists called the policy 'the behavior of a backsliding democracy, not the international vanguard of free speech.'
The Committee warned that a relentless cycle of visa renewals restricts press freedom, as journalists may avoid drawing the administration's ire to prevent application rejections.
The updated rules take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register. A similar 90-day restriction was proposed in 2020 but discarded by the Biden administration.
China's foreign ministry condemned the policy as discriminatory.
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Spokesperson Lin Jian urged the US to revoke the measures and safeguard Chinese journalists' rights, adding that China reserves the right to take reciprocal countermeasures.
