WAN-IFRA reported last week that The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule that would limit stays for foreign journalists on I visas to 240 days. These visas typically allow for up to five years, providing international correspondents with the time and stability they need to establish trusted sources, understand local communities, and thoroughly cover American politics, culture, and society.
The instability such a proposal creates is not just bureaucratic; it is a direct blow to reporting, added WAN-IFRA. Journalists forced to rely on short-term visas would struggle to rent homes, open bank accounts, or put down the roots needed to properly understand the communities they cover. Instead of offering deep, sustained reporting on American politics, culture, and society, their work would risk being rushed, fragmented, and shallow.
News and journalist organisations from around the world have come together to resist this proposal, WAN-IFRA continued. A joint statement, co-ordinated by the EBU, and supported by WAN-IFRA, with 119 signatories has been published. It urges the Administration to maintain the existing I visa framework, which “supports the United States in projecting strength, credibility, and leadership worldwide”. The signatories stand ready for further dialogue with the U.S. authorities on how best to achieve these shared objectives.
In 2021, an international coalition of press freedom organisations came together to fight a nearly identical plan and won. DHS withdrew its new rules after widespread opposition. Four years later, WAN-IFRA says the stakes are just as high.
Joint statement on proposed changes to US visas for foreign journalists
We, the undersigned, representing leading broadcast, print and digital media, news organizations and journalists’ organizations around the world, call on the United States Government to withdraw its recent proposal to change the I visa programme for foreign journalists.
The current I visa framework, which typically allows for stays of up to five years, has for decades ensured that international journalists can report accurately on rolling and breaking news in the United States.
By spending years, not months, on the ground, journalists gain the deep knowledge, trusted networks and contextual immersion needed to explain America to global audiences. This serves a critical U.S. interest: ensuring that America’s policies, culture, and leadership are clearly and accurately communicated to international audiences in their own languages.
The proposal to limit visas to 240 days would disrupt this proven system, create instability for correspondents and their families, and reduce the quantity and quality of coverage coming from the U.S.
That risks leaving the world less informed about American news and current affairs. Rival nations and powerful adversaries will waste no time in filling the resulting vacuum with narratives about the U.S. that serve their own interests before the truth.
We recognize the importance of national security and visa integrity, but the proposed change will not advance these priorities. The existing I visa program already provides for strict accountability, transparency and compliance by tying each visa to a specific journalist and their employer. Curtailing it will not strengthen security—it will just weaken the world’s understanding of American life, including around events like the Olympic Games and national elections.
The U.S.A. has always stood for openness, freedom of expression and a strong, independent press. Restricting foreign media access risks undermining that legacy because it emulates countries where press freedom is near extinct. That would damage, not enhance, America’s global standing.
We therefore urge the Administration to maintain the existing I visa framework, which supports the United States in projecting strength, credibility, and leadership worldwide.
We also stand ready for further dialogue with the U.S. authorities on how best to achieve these shared objectives.
Signatories
- 3Cat (Catalan Public Service Media)
- Agence France Presse (AFP): Phil Chetwynd, global news director
- Alianza Informative Latinoamericana: Juan Carlos Isaza, executive director
- Altinget: Veslemoy Ostrem, editor-in-chief
- Arab States Broadcasting Union (ASBU): Abdelrahim Suleiman, director general
- ARTE: Heike Hempel, president
- Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU): Ahmed Nadeem, secretary-general
- Association of Commercial Television and VOD Services in Europe (ACT)
- Association of European Radios (AER)
- Association of Foreign Press Correspondents in the USA (AFPC-USA)
- Association of Independent Regional Press Publishers of Ukraine: Oksana Brovko, CEO
- Association of Norwegian Editors: Reidun Kjelling Nybø, secretary general
- Association of Public Broadcasters in Germany (ARD): Katja Wildermuth, director general, Bayerischer Rundfunk
- Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC): Justin Stevens, director of news
- Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF) Roland Weissmann, director general
- Bloomberg News
- Bell Media: Richard Gray, vice-president, CTV News
- British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC): Tim Davie, director general
- Bulgarian National Television (BNT) Emil Koshlukov, director general
- Bundesverband Digitalpublisher und Zeitungsverleger: Dr. Jörg Eggers, CEO
- Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ): Brent Jolly, president
- Caribbean Broadcasting Union (CBU)
- CBC/Radio-Canada: Brodie Fenlon, general manager and editor-in-chief, CBC News; Luce Julien, general manager, News and Current Affairs, Radio Canada
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
- Corporación Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE): José Pablo López Sánchez, president
- Croatian Radio and Television (HRT): Robert Šveb, Director General
- Czech Publishers Association: Tomáš Tkačík, chairman
- Czech Radio: René Zavoral, director general
- Czech Television: Hynek Chudárek, director general
- Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR): Bjarne Fog Corydon, director general
- Deutschlandradio: Stefan Raue, director
- Die Zeit: Giovanni di Lorenzo and Jochen Wegner, editors-in-chief
- DW (Deutsche Welle): Peter Limbourg, director general
- Eesti Rahvusringhääling (Estonian Television): Erik Roose, chairman and CEO
- Estonian Association of News Media Enterprises: Väino Koorberg, CEO
- European Alliance of News Agencies (EANA)
- European Broadcasting Union (EBU): Delphine Ernotte Cunci, president, and Noel Curran, director general
- European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF)
- European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) Ricardo Gutierrez, general secretary
- European Magazine Media Association (EMMA)
- European News Exchange (ENEX) Adrian Wells, managing director
- European Newspaper Publishers’ Association (ENPA)
- European Publishers Council (EPC): Angela Mills Wade, executive director
- Feature Story News: Simon Marks, president
- Foreign Press Association (FPA): Ian Williams, president
- France Médias Monde: Marie-Christine Saragosse, CEO
- France Télévisions: Delphine Ernotte Cunci, CEO
- Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB): Tina Berdzenishvili, director general
- Global News: Sonia Verma, editor-in-chief
- Hungarian Publishers’ Association: Tibor Kovacs, president
- Index on Censorship Jemimah Steinfeld, CEO
- Inter American Press Association
- International Federation of Journalists (IFJ): Anthony Bellanger, general secretary
- International Press Institute (IPI): Scott Griffen, executive director
- International Publishers Association (IPA)
- ITV: Laura Wilshaw, editor, ITV News
- Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (NSK): Shiro Nakamura, chair
- Journalists for Human Rights: Rachel Pulfer, president
- JP/Politikens Hus: Stig Kirk Ørskov, CEO
- Korean Association of Newspapers: Chai Chung, Lim, president
- La Presse: Francois Cardinal, VP-deputy publisher
- La Radio-télévision belge de la Communauté française (RTBF): Jean Paul Philippot, director general
- Latvian Publishers Association: Maris Ancs, chair of the board
- Lithuanian National Radio and Television (LRT): Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė, director general
- Luxembourg Association of News Media (ALMI): Paul Peckels, president
- Media For Europe (MFE)
- Neue Zürcher Zeitung: Dr. Felix Graf, CEO, and Simon Jakob, senior legal counsel
- News Media Canada: Paul Deegan, president and CEO
- News Media Europe: Wout van Wijk, editor-in-chief
- North American Broadcasters Association (NABA): Rebecca Hanson, director general
- Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK): Vibeke Furst Haugen, director general, and Sigurd Falkenberg Mikkelsen, editor of foreign affairs
- Norwegian Union of Journalists: Dag Idar Tryggestad, president
- NOS (Dutch Public Broadcaster for News): Renate Eringa, general manager
- NPO (Dutch Public Broadcaster): Lucien Brouwer, board of directors
- Organización Editorial Mexicana (OEM): Martha Ramos, chief editorial officer
- Pacific Media Network (PMN): Don Mann, CEO, Pacific Media Network
- Private Newspapers and Online News Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG): David Tamakloe, president
- Project Kontinuum Branko Brkic, Leader
- Public Media Alliance (PMA)
- Public Television Company of Armenia
- Rádio e Televisão de Portugal (RTP): Nicolau Santos, president
- Radio France: Sibyle Veil, president and director general
- Radio New Zealand (RNZ)
- Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI): Giampaolo Rossi, CEO
- Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press: Bruce D. Brown, president
- Reporters Without Borders (RSF): Thibaut Bruttin, director general
- Reuters
- Ringier Hungary: Tibor Kovacs, CEO
- Ringier Media: Dmitry Shishkin, strategic editorial advisor
- Rory Peck Trust: Jon Williams, executive director
- RTCG: Boris Raonić, director general
- RTÉ: Kevin Bakhurst, director general
- RTV Slovenia: Natalija Gorščak, president of the management board
- RÚV: Stefán Eiríksson, director general
- Sky News: Tim Singleton, head of international news
- SRG SSR: Susanne Wille, director general
- Star Media Group: Esther Ng, chief content officer
- Süddeutsche Zeitung: Wolfgang Krach, CEO
- Suspilne Ukraine: Mykola Chernotytskyi, head of the managing board
- Sveriges Radio / Swedish Radio: Cilla Benkö, director general
- SVT (Swedish Television): Anne Lagercrantz, CEO
- The Associated Press (AP): Paul Haven, VP head of global news gathering
- The Financial Times: Brooke Masters, US managing editor
- The Globe and Mail: Andrew Saunders, CEO and president
- The Guardian: Katharine Viner, editor-in-chief
- The Irish Times: Deirdre Veldon, group managing director
- Tidningsutgivarna, Swedish Newspaper Publishers Association: Johan Taubert, CEO
- TV2 Denmark: Anne Engdal Stig Christensen, CEO
- Ukrainian Media Business Association: Oleksii Pogorelov, president
- United Daily News: George K. Shuang, managing director
- Utbildningsradion (UR): Kalle Sandhammar, CEO
- VAUNET – German Association of Private Media
- Verlegerverband Schweizer Medien (Swiss Publishers Association): Andrea Masüger, president
- Vocento: Fernando Belzunce, executive editorial director
- World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA): Ladina Heimgartner, president, and Vincent Peyregne, CEO
- World Editors Forum: David Walmsley, president
- Yleisradio Oy (YLE): Merja Ylä-Anttila, CEO
- ZDF: Norbert Himmler, director general
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