Overview
- U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV issued a nationwide preliminary injunction on Monday, September 14, 2026, blocking a DHS rule that would have replaced open-ended 'duration of status' with fixed admit-until dates.
- The DHS rule would have generally limited most F-1 and J-1 students and scholars to four years and most I-status journalists to 240 days, and it would require discretionary USCIS extension requests with fees, biometrics, and security checks.
- Saylor wrote that DHS relied on weak national-security evidence, pointed to only a handful of past incidents, and failed to meaningfully consider or explain less burdensome alternatives to a blanket time cap.
- The judge highlighted likely harms to students, universities, researchers and journalists, noting dozens of reported withdrawals, potential drops in enrollment, and economic risks tied to about 400,000 jobs and large annual costs.
- The injunction is temporary and litigation will determine the rule’s final fate, with the administration expected to seek appeals or other relief and the rule possibly being revised, reinstated or permanently blocked.