In a sweeping overhaul of student immigration rules, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on 16 July published a final regulation that abolishes the open-ended “duration of status” admission period and replaces it with a fixed maximum stay of four years for F-1 academic students, J-1 exchange visitors and I-visa foreign media representatives. Under the new scheme, students who need more time to complete their programmes must file for an extension with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and pass fresh security vetting. Those who change majors, transfer schools or fall out of status will also have to re-apply. Federal officials argue the measure closes a “loophole” that, in their view, allowed some visa-holders to remain in the country for years with minimal oversight. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the fixed period “reclaims the government’s ability to properly screen, vet and monitor” foreign students. The rule will take effect in early September, giving universities less than two months to update compliance systems and advise current students. Higher-education groups reacted with alarm, warning that the additional paperwork could overwhelm Designated School Officials (DSOs) and discourage international enrolment—which has already declined for three consecutive years amid tighter visa screening and pandemic after-shocks. Universities with five-year architecture, PhD and medical programmes will be the hardest hit; they must now schedule mid-course extension filings and prepare students for possible gaps in employment eligibility under Optional Practical Training (OPT). Industry estimates suggest more than 300,000 students—about 20 % of the current F-1 population—take longer than four years to finish a degree. For global mobility managers the change adds cost, uncertainty and workload. Companies that hire foreign interns or sponsor tuition for future hires must budget for attorney fees tied to each extension and build in buffer time for government processing. Students whose visas expire while extension requests are pending will be unable to travel for business conferences or internships abroad. Colleges are urging affected students to keep passports valid for at least six years and to maintain pristine academic records to avoid extra scrutiny. Practical tips: (1) Audit programme end-dates on all I-20/DS-2019 forms and file amendments before 1 September; (2) renew passports early to avoid overlap issues; (3) schedule fall travel only after extension approval; and (4) employers should add an early-warning flag in HRIS systems to track four-year limits for new hires on F-1 OPT.
Source: Associated Press
