FIIDS urges US to halt four-year visa cap for students and researchers

FIIDS has asked the US Congress and USCIS to halt the new four-year visa cap for students and exchange visitors. The group says the policy could disrupt courses, research and jobs while weakening US competitiveness.Stock photo used for illustrationAn Indian diaspora advocacy group has urged the US Congress and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services to stop the rollout of a new four-year cap on visa stays for students and exchange visitors. The appeal comes days after the US tightened visa rules for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists, ending the earlier system that allowed them to stay in the country without a fixed time limit.The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies, or FIIDS, said the change could hurt US research, innovation and the wider economy. It asked the administration to delay the implementation and protect students before the new rules take effect in mid-September."This is a self-inflicted wound on US competitiveness," said Khanderao Kand, chief of Policy and Strategy at FIIDS. "A four-year cap misaligns with how modern degrees actually work – median time to a bachelor's is about 52 months and to a PhD about 5.7 years – while USCIS is already sitting on more than 11 million cases with roughly year-long processing times. Students will be forced out mid-program or mid-research, labs will lose critical talent, and America will hand its innovation pipeline to competitors," Kand said.FIIDS said new international student enrolments fell 17 per cent in Fall 2025, the steepest drop since the pandemic, with 96 per cent of institutions citing visa concerns. It said total international enrolment is near 1.2 million and contributes about USD 55 billion a year to the US economy. The National Association of Foreign Student Affairs has estimated that the 17 per cent decline in new enrolment alone means more than USD 1.1 billion in lost revenue and nearly 23,000 fewer jobs. FIIDS urged Congress to bring in and support legislation to restore the duration of stay for F-1 and J-1 visas, or create statutory exemptions for graduate STEM programmes with median completion times of more than 48 months, capped at 64 months with automatic extension. It also asked Congress and the USCIS to keep OPT and STEM OPT out of the year count and restore the 60-day grace period. "If the goal is integrity, do it without blowing up degree pathways that power American labs and startups," Kand said.The group also asked the USCIS to issue administrative relief before the mid-September effective date, including automatic extensions for students in good standing in programmes with NCES-reported median completion times of more than 48 months. In its appeal, FIIDS said the four-year cap should be halted as it risks disrupting courses and research while affecting universities, jobs and innovation in the US. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 20, 2026 07:20 IST