🇺🇸 Study & students

What changed

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has finalised a major change to the immigration rules governing F-1 academic students, J-1 exchange visitors and I foreign-media representatives. The rule replaces the current Duration of Status (D/S) system with a fixed period of admission and introduces new procedures for people who need to remain in the United States beyond that period. For F-1 students, the new admission period will generally correspond to the length of the academic programme listed by the student's school, up to a maximum of four years, followed by a 30-day departure/grace period. The four-year maximum is not a four-year limit on the total time a student can study in the United States. Students whose programmes require more than four years can seek an extension of stay (EOS) from USCIS. The rule also changes how students move into OPT and STEM OPT. Under the new system, qualifying students will generally need an extension-of-stay process to extend their period of admission for post-completion OPT or STEM OPT. The final rule was published on 17 July 2026 and has an announced effective date of 15 September 2026, subject to the congressional-review process.