A US federal judge has halted the Department of Homeland Security’s plan to replace the long-standing “duration-of-status” system for F-1 students with a fixed four-year admission period. The rule—which was due to take effect on 15 September—would have forced hundreds of thousands of international students, including more than 250,000 Indians, to apply for extensions if their programmes exceeded four years or if they needed extra time to finish research. Judge F. Dennis Saylor ruled on 14 September that DHS failed to follow required rule-making procedures and did not adequately explore less-restrictive alternatives. Universities, state governments and industry groups had warned the change would create new compliance burdens, deter enrolment in doctoral programmes and hurt US competitiveness for STEM talent. The injunction means the current system—under which students can remain in the United States as long as they maintain full-time status—continues. Indian students planning autumn 2026 travel can proceed under existing rules; SEVIS records and visa stamps remain valid. Universities are advising students to keep copies of the court order with their travel documents until government websites are updated. Immigration lawyers caution that the Biden administration (or a future administration) could re-propose a similar rule with proper notice-and-comment, so corporate mobility teams should monitor developments, especially for employees on the F-1 STEM-OPT track who transition to H-1B status. Meanwhile, consular sections in India do not expect appointment schedules to change, but demand for F-1 slots may surge as students who were waiting for clarity now proceed with applications. For global companies budgeting for US assignments, the ruling removes immediate uncertainty over study-to-work pipelines. Employers can continue to plan for Optional Practical Training (OPT) and cap-gap extensions without the extra paperwork the four-year cap would have triggered.
Source: Jagran Josh
