US visa proposal: 4-year student visas, 240-day limit for foreign journalists
Washington D.C.: The Trump administration has recently unveiled a proposal to restrict the duration of visas for international students, cultural exchange visitors, and foreign journalists, in a bid to curb visa abuse and strengthen immigration controls.
The proposed rule seeks to replace the existing “duration of status” system, in place since 1978, with fixed visa terms.
"For too long, past administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the US virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amounts of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens," a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said, adding that this proposed rule would close those loopholes by limiting how long certain visa holders can stay.
The Trump administration says that the changes will prevent abuses such as “forever students” who remain enrolled to prolong their stay.
Under the new framework, student and exchange visas would be capped at four years, while foreign journalists (I visas) would be limited to 240 days, with options for extension. Meanwhile, Chinese nationals holding journalist visas would be subject to an even stricter limit of 90 days.
Visa holders wishing to remain in the country beyond the fixed term would need to apply for an extension through US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), enabling DHS to conduct additional reviews of their status and activities.
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
