China urged the United States to withdraw new visa rules covering foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists, calling the measures “discriminatory” and warning that Beijing reserves the right to respond with reciprocal countermeasures.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference in Beijing on Friday that China rejects the U.S. decision and believes the restrictions do not serve anyone’s interests, Reuters reported.
The U.S. moved on Thursday to tighten visa durations for several categories of foreign nationals. Under the new rules, student and exchange visitor visas would generally be limited to no more than four years. Journalist visas would be limited to up to 240 days, while Chinese journalists would be limited to 90 days.
Visa holders would still be able to apply for extensions.
The rules replace the previous “duration of status” system, which allowed students, exchange visitors and foreign media representatives to remain in the U.S. as long as they continued to meet visa requirements.
The visa changes were first formally introduced by the Department of Homeland Security as a proposed rule in August 2025. DHS said at the time that fixed admission periods would allow U.S. authorities to conduct more regular oversight and vetting of visa holders. The final rule was announced on July 16, 2026, and is set to take effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
The shorter limit for Chinese journalists adds another point of friction to already strained U.S.-China relations, particularly over media access, academic exchanges and national security concerns.
