Overview
- The Department of Homeland Security finalized the rule that ends the 1978 'duration of status' system and sets fixed admission periods generally capped at four years for F and J visas and at 240 days for most I visas with a 90‑day limit for Chinese passport holders.
- DHS published the final rule on Thursday, July 16, and it will become effective 60 days after it appears in the Federal Register unless Congress blocks it during the required review period.
- Current F and J visa holders in the United States will be moved automatically into the new fixed‑period system with their authorized stay capped at up to four years from the rule’s effective date.
- Anyone needing to remain beyond the fixed period must file an Extension of Stay with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, a process that will require biometric collection, background and fraud screening and could expose applicants to processing delays and risk of unlawful presence.
- The change tightens rules on post‑completion timeframes, transfers and program changes, a shift universities and education groups warn will disrupt doctoral research, Optional Practical Training pipelines and fall enrollments while prompting planned legal and policy challenges.