The State Department has announced it will limit the length of some visas issued to Chinese citizens visiting the U.S. The announcement comes as the Trump administration is combating U.S.-intellectual-property theft by China.
The changes will go into effect on June 11 and under them, the U.S. may shorten the length of some visas instead of automatically granting the maximum possible length.
The Trump administration has not provided specifics but U.S. officials told ABC News that graduate students may be limited to one-year visas if they are studying in cutting-edge tech fields such as robotics and aviation. The Chinese government has recently identified those fields as priorities for their nation.
The U.S. Commerce Department has also created a list of companies requiring increased scrutiny. Chinese citizens coming to the U.S. to work as researchers or managers for those entities will need special clearance from U.S. agencies, and those special clearances could take months.
The application process itself will remain unchanged according to the U.S. State Department.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Chinese governments over Trade. This week the White House announced a 25% tariff on $50 billion on technology-based products.
“To protect our national security, the United States will implement specific investment restrictions and enhanced export controls for Chinese persons and entities related to the acquisition of industrially significant technology,” the statement read.
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