Attorney General Bonta Leads Amicus Brief Challenging Trump Administration Rule Restricting Length of International Student Visas

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today, co-leadinga multistate coalition, filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts to block a Trump Administration rule restricting international students to a fixed four-year visa period while litigation continues. For more than four decades, federal regulations for international students and academic exchange participants have been based on the "duration of status" principle, allowing students and other academic visitors to receive visas that remain in effect while they complete their degree, medical residency, or other programs. In the brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that a rigid four-year visa regulation, which can only be extended at the whim of the Trump Administration, will cause severe disruption to students and institutions of higher education, wreak havoc on graduate education and academic research, and threaten the economic growth, stability, and innovation of the coalition states.

"California welcomes students from around the world who come to learn and contribute to our diverse culture and economy with open arms," said Attorney General Bonta. "The Trump Administration's attempt to impose arbitrary restrictions on the duration of academic visas threatens the stability of California's colleges and universities and the well-being of California residents statewide. We voiced our concerns with this proposal in 2025, and now we urge the courts to block the new visa restrictions while litigation continues - for the sake of our schools, students, and the California residents who benefit from the enormous contributions of our international visitors."

In the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition assert that the rule is incompatible with higher education programs, will discourage prospective students from studying in the U.S., will impose significant burdens and limits on academic programs, and will harm state and local economies. Not only are international students a large portion of the academic community, but the durations of their respective programs often exceed the arbitrary four-year limit imposed by the rule. In the University of California system, over 35% of all academic doctoral students are visa holders, often concentrated in STEM fields; nationally, as of 2024, the average time needed to complete graduate or doctoral studies was 7.2 years from the beginning of graduate school, and 5.7 years from the commencement of the doctoral program itself - far exceeding the administration's proposed four-year cap. Without the guarantee that they can complete their education and training, international students will be discouraged from studying in the U.S.

Aside from the rich and diverse viewpoints, interests, and skillsets international students bring that enhance the quality of learning institutions and local communities, these students also pay tuition and fees that contribute to colleges and universities' ability to provide courses and financial aid to residents. During the 2024-2025 school year, international students contributed nearly $230 million in tuition and fees to California State Universities, and nearly $163 million in tuition to California Community Colleges. In the same year, international students attending California institutions contributed $6.4 billion to the economy and supported 55,114 jobs, a loss that would negatively impact the health of California's workforce, community, and economy.

Attorney General Bonta is committed to protecting all California residents, including the international students who deserve a fair path to completing their education. In September 2025, Attorney General Bonta led a coalition in opposing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's proposal to restrict international student visas. In April 2025 and August 2026, he filed amicus briefs urging the courts to block the Trump Administration's unlawful policy targeting students and faculty for visa revocations and removal based on their political speech and activism.

Attorney General Bonta leads the coalition with Attorney General Letitia James of New York. They are joined by the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai'i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia in filing the amicus brief.