US proposes stricter J-1 visa rules; Indian researchers, docs could be affected

Thousands of Indian researchers, doctors, professors and trainees heading to the US on J-1 exchange visitor visas could face stricter compliance requirements under a proposal by the Trump administration to tighten oversight of one of America's most widely used academic and cultural exchange programmes.This proposal by the US Department of State (DOS) comes just weeks after the Trump administration finalised a separate rule ending the decades-old ‘duration of status’ visa system for J-1 exchange visitors and replacing it with fixed admission periods of up to four years, requiring many participants to seek visa extensions if their exchange programmes continue beyond that period.Now, DOS has published a proposed rule that would significantly revise how exchange visitors maintain their status, expand the grounds on which participation in the programme may be terminated, formally establish procedures for reinstating those who fall out of status, and impose additional compliance responsibilities on programme sponsors.