The United States government has drastically reduced the validity period of work-permit visas for non-citizens from five years to 18 months, a sweeping change officials say is part of an intelligence-driven overhaul of immigration monitoring.
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced the policy shift as it moves toward more frequent security vetting of foreign nationals working in the country.
According to a report, the new measure will require thousands of non-citizens to undergo repeated background checks, enabling federal agencies to track emerging security threats, possible fraud, or changes in applicants’ records that may not have been evident over a longer timeframe.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said the shorter validity period is designed to strengthen national security and prevent individuals who pose threats from maintaining long-term access to the American labour market.
“Reducing the maximum validity period for employment authorization will ensure that those seeking to work in the United States do not threaten public safety or promote harmful anti-American ideologies,” Edlow said.
He referenced a recent attack on National Guard service members in Washington, D.C., allegedly carried out by a foreign national admitted under the previous administration, insisting that continuous vetting is now “non-negotiable.”
The announcement comes just days after the U.S. government suspended the processing of all immigration applications from 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, citing heightened national security concerns.
The suspension, which has left thousands of prospective immigrants in limbo, followed the arrest of an Afghan national linked to an attack on U.S. service members. President Donald Trump’s administration defended the decision, saying the pause is necessary to close “security gaps” and conduct comprehensive reviews.
Countries hit by the toughest restrictions include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen—all of which were previously under partial travel bans.
The development also comes amid renewed calls by President Trump for a permanent halt to immigration from what he described as “Third World Countries,” a statement issued in a controversial Thanksgiving message last week. He argued that immigrants strain public resources and contribute to “social dysfunction.”
The new measures have drawn criticism from rights groups, who warn that the repeated tightening of immigration pathways could leave thousands in prolonged legal uncertainty.
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