July 17, 2026
The Foreign Press Association is dismayed by the US Administration’s proposals for restricting international press visas. The shortened duration of the press “I” visa would make it impossible for overseas press to maintain consistent coverage of the US, let alone staff a bureau. The likely administrative backlogs and possible politically motivated visa-denials fly in the face of the First Amendment in the US and challenge international media standards.
The demand for frequent visa renewal obviates any chance that correspondents could maintain any kind of family life, let alone to develop the network of sources and resources essential for professional journalism.
The benefits of free press coverage stand in their own right. However, we should also point out that many essential US industries depend on international media coverage. Markets, education, entertainment, STEM, sports and culture are just some examples of industries where companies and institutions could decide to relocate to more cosmopolitan and accessible countries.
Since at least the Second World War, the State Department has set an example for other countries with its untrammelled welcome for the foreign press and its consistent defense of First Amendment rights. The flurry of reflexive xenophobia represented by these proposals reverses all those decades in a way which clearly does not take account of the needs of the press, nor indeed of the USA. Many of us can testify to the professional development of journalists from more restrictive countries like China when exposed to a more open press here, which makes it even more illogical that the proposals impose additional restrictions on Chinese media.
We recall that the Headquarters Treaty with the United Nations and other international bodies commits the host country, the US, to facilitate entry to press from member countries to cover the work, and cannot see any provisions to ensure that this international treaty obligation is fulfilled. Once again this suggests that these proposals were rushed through without consideration of the realities, and we can testify, with no consultation with the media affected.
Update - July 28, 2026
A recent CNN article cites the case of a woman who was detained while she was in the process of lawfully seeking an extension of her authorized stay in the United States. It then quotes the following DHS statement:
DHS told CNN in a statement that simply pursuing the process of legally remaining in the United States did not mean that she was authorized to stay.
“A pending application and work authorization does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States,” the statement said.
Read the full Article here:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/28/us/ice-airport-arrests
The Foreign Press Association is dismayed by the US Administration’s proposals for restricting international press visas. The shortened duration of the press “I” visa would make it impossible for overseas press to maintain consistent coverage of the US, let alone staff a bureau. The likely administrative backlogs and possible politically motivated visa-denials fly in the face of the First Amendment in the US and challenge international media standards.
The demand for frequent visa renewal obviates any chance that correspondents could maintain any kind of family life, let alone to develop the network of sources and resources essential for professional journalism.
The benefits of free press coverage stand in their own right. However, we should also point out that many essential US industries depend on international media coverage. Markets, education, entertainment, STEM, sports and culture are just some examples of industries where companies and institutions could decide to relocate to more cosmopolitan and accessible countries.
Since at least the Second World War, the State Department has set an example for other countries with its untrammelled welcome for the foreign press and its consistent defense of First Amendment rights. The flurry of reflexive xenophobia represented by these proposals reverses all those decades in a way which clearly does not take account of the needs of the press, nor indeed of the USA. Many of us can testify to the professional development of journalists from more restrictive countries like China when exposed to a more open press here, which makes it even more illogical that the proposals impose additional restrictions on Chinese media.
We recall that the Headquarters Treaty with the United Nations and other international bodies commits the host country, the US, to facilitate entry to press from member countries to cover the work, and cannot see any provisions to ensure that this international treaty obligation is fulfilled. Once again this suggests that these proposals were rushed through without consideration of the realities, and we can testify, with no consultation with the media affected.
Update - July 28, 2026
A recent CNN article cites the case of a woman who was detained while she was in the process of lawfully seeking an extension of her authorized stay in the United States. It then quotes the following DHS statement:
DHS told CNN in a statement that simply pursuing the process of legally remaining in the United States did not mean that she was authorized to stay.
“A pending application and work authorization does NOT confer any type of legal status in the United States,” the statement said.
Read the full Article here:
https://www.cnn.com/2026/07/28/us/ice-airport-arrests
Watch our recent briefing answering your I Visa questions, with Immigration Lawyer Olivia McLaren, Weightmans LLP,
and Dan Kubiske, Society of Professional Society of Journalsts
and Dan Kubiske, Society of Professional Society of Journalsts
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August 7, 2026 -
CPJ calls on Pakistani authorities to withdraw draconian new guidelines requiring journalists working for international media outlets to obtain authorization before reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi, or Lahore, in a move likely to censor coverage of unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines open the door for Pakistani authorities to further restrict international media coverage, prevent journalists from reporting freely outside Pakistan’s three main cities, and risk exposing them to administrative retaliation,” said CPJ Afghanistan and Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. “These guidelines mark yet another appalling blow to press freedom in Pakistan, where journalists are already facing an intense crackdown, particularly those reporting on unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”
CPJ calls on Pakistani authorities to withdraw draconian new guidelines requiring journalists working for international media outlets to obtain authorization before reporting outside Islamabad, Karachi, or Lahore, in a move likely to censor coverage of unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
“The Foreign Media Facilitation Guidelines open the door for Pakistani authorities to further restrict international media coverage, prevent journalists from reporting freely outside Pakistan’s three main cities, and risk exposing them to administrative retaliation,” said CPJ Afghanistan and Pakistan Representative Waliullah Rahmani. “These guidelines mark yet another appalling blow to press freedom in Pakistan, where journalists are already facing an intense crackdown, particularly those reporting on unrest in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.”