In the most sweeping redesign of student and exchange-visitor immigration rules in decades, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has published a final regulation that eliminates the open-ended “duration of status” admission period. Beginning 60 days after the rule is printed in the Federal Register (expected 17 July 2026), all F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors and I-class foreign media representatives will be admitted only for a finite period tied to their academic program, research project or media assignment. Under the new framework, F-1 and J-1 principals and their dependents will receive an authorized stay of up to four years (plus a 30-day grace period), while I-visa journalists will be limited to 240 days—90 days for PRC passport-holders. Anyone who needs more time must file an extension of stay with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and submit to biometrics and a renewed compliance review. If an extension is not filed before the end date on the I-94, the individual immediately begins to accrue unlawful presence, exposing them to three- and ten-year re-entry bars. DHS says the change closes loopholes that allowed some foreign students to remain in the United States for decades by stringing together new degree programs or transferring schools. Universities and sponsors will lose the ability to grant additional time simply by issuing a revised Form I-20 or DS-2019; instead, they will have to certify compelling academic or humanitarian grounds for an extension request. Grace periods are also shortened: the post-study window for F-1 students shrinks from 60 days to 30. For employers and universities, the rule heralds a sharp spike in extension filings—potentially hundreds of thousands per year—adding to already substantial USCIS backlogs. International offices will need new compliance systems to track end dates, alert students and scholars to filing deadlines, and budget for higher legal and government-fee costs. Students planning Optional Practical Training (OPT) may find their job offers constrained by shorter timelines or delayed approvals. Although classified as a “major rule,” the regulation could still be overturned by Congress under the Congressional Review Act, but observers view that as unlikely given the current political make-up. Schools are advising international students to inventory end dates now, budget for possible $470 extension filing fees and prepare for more rigid change-of-major and transfer rules—particularly at the graduate level, where program switches will be limited to “extenuating circumstances.”
Source: Fragomen
