A federal judge in Boston on Monday blocked the Trump administration from implementing a new rule that would impose fixed limits on how long foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists can remain in the United States without seeking extensions.

US District Judge F. Dennis Saylor ruled in favour of a coalition of unions and higher education advocacy groups just a day before the Department of Homeland Security rule was scheduled to take effect, finding that the agency had failed to adequately justify the policy change.

Judge Criticises DHS Reasoning

Saylor said the Department of Homeland Security had relied on “exceptionally weak” reasoning in adopting the new policy.

DHS had cited national security concerns and efforts to prevent fraud in the visa system as reasons for changing the existing framework. However, Saylor found that the agency had not properly addressed concerns surrounding the policy or considered alternatives that would impose fewer burdens.

The judge, who was appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, said the rule would overturn a system that had been in place for nearly five decades.

Under the existing arrangement, foreign students could remain in the United States for the “duration of status” of their academic programmes.

Saylor said that system had allowed tens of millions of foreign students and researchers to study and work in the US, contributing to major advances in science, medicine and technology as well as significant economic growth.

New Rule Sought Fixed Limits On Visa Stays

The DHS rule, adopted in July, sought to replace the existing system with fixed time limits for certain categories of foreign nationals.

Under the proposed policy, F visas issued to international students and J visas for cultural exchange visitors would have been limited to four years.

I visas issued to foreign journalists, which can currently remain valid for several years, would instead have been restricted to 240 days.

About 1.6 million people currently hold F visas, while another 500,000 people have J visas.

Saylor also pointed to the significant presence of international students at major research universities, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, particularly in graduate programmes.

Judge Warns Of Economic And Academic Impact

The ruling highlighted the potential consequences for US universities if the new visa limits were implemented.

Saylor warned that the policy could result in declining enrolment at major universities and impose costs running into hundreds of millions of dollars.

He said the impact would extend beyond individual institutions to the broader American higher education system and economy.

“The damage to the higher education system and to the economy of the United States is likely to be catastrophic,” Saylor wrote.

The ruling temporarily prevents the Trump administration from putting the new visa duration policy into effect, preserving the existing system while the legal challenge proceeds.

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