PAKISTAN PERSPECTIVE
US TIGHTENS VISA RULES FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS AND JOURNALISTS
DOMINANT ANGLE
Islamabad is assessing the impact of a US immigration crackdown that, for the first time, caps the duration of student and journalist visas, as the country remains a significant source of applicants for US campuses and newsrooms.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
ANALYSIS
Islamabad, July 17, 2026. Pakistan's government is taking note of a new rule published by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday, which ends the "duration of status" rule that previously allowed foreign students, cultural exchange visitors, and accredited journalists to stay in the US for as long as their studies or mission lasted. According to reports, the measure now sets strict limits: a maximum of four years for student visas (F) and exchange visas (J), and 240 days for journalists holding an I visa, reduced to 90 days for Chinese nationals - a clause explicitly contested by Beijing, which views it as discriminatory.
The text, published in the Federal Register, will take effect 60 days after its publication, subject to Congressional review. It could disrupt the September university semester for tens of thousands of international students already enrolled. Additionally, graduate students will no longer be able to change their "educational objective" mid-course or transfer institutions without authorization, and the deadline to leave the country after completing a program will be cut in half.
Pakistan observers place the decision within the broader trajectory of the US administration since January 2025: the State Department has revoked over 100,000 visas, including 8,000 held by students, citing security risks and costs to taxpayers. The DHS claims it wants to "better track" individuals present in the US.
For the Pakistani press, the issue goes beyond the Chinese case: Pakistan is among the top sending countries for students and young professionals to American campuses and media outlets, and the end of indefinite stay introduces new administrative uncertainty for anyone planning a long course of study or a journalistic career in the US. No official Pakistani reaction has been reported so far, unlike Beijing, which formally protested the specific treatment of Chinese journalists beforehand. The crackdown is part of a broader climate of enhanced migration control, according to reports, between student visa revocations linked to ideological positions and removals of legal status affecting hundreds of thousands of migrants.
KEY POINTS
- Pakistan's government will cap student visas (F) and exchange visas (J) at four years, a change from the previously indefinite duration.
- Foreign journalists in Pakistan will have their I visa limited to 240 days, reduced to 90 days for Chinese nationals -- a clause Beijing views as discriminatory.
- The Pakistani government has revoked over 100,000 visas since January 2025, including 8,000 held by students.
COGNITIVE BIASES IDENTIFIED
Pakistan's government is focused on the Chinese case, with articles detailing Beijing's protest without mentioning any official Pakistani reaction.
Pakistan prefers to use official numbers from the DHS and the Department of State, which are repeated without independent fact-checking.
There is limited coverage of the concrete consequences for Pakistani students themselves, who are absent from both narratives.
SOURCES (2)
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