DHS Rule Ends Open-Ended Student Visa Status, Takes Effect Monday

WASHINGTON, A sweeping Department of Homeland Security rule that rewrites the terms of stay for more than a million international students in the United States takes effect Monday, ending a system that has governed campus immigration for more than three decades.

The rule, published in the Federal Register on July 17, eliminates what DHS calls 'duration of status', the framework under which F-1 and J-1 visa holders could remain in the country indefinitely so long as they kept valid enrollment. In its place, the department is imposing a fixed admission period.

Under the new terms, most international students will be admitted for the length of their academic program or four years, whichever is shorter, according to the final rule reviewed by the Federal Register. Students who need more time must apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for an extension of stay and pay an additional filing fee.

The rule also limits students' ability to change majors or transfer schools and cuts the post-completion grace period from 60 days to 30 days, according to an analysis posted by the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

DHS said in the Federal Register filing that the rule 'will provide additional protections and oversight' of the affected visa categories and will allow the agency to better evaluate whether holders are maintaining status. The department acknowledged the rule could cause international student enrollment to decline.

Critics, including university administrators, educators, and businesses, argue the change will deter foreign graduate students and researchers and harm U.S. higher education and innovation, according to a Forbes analysis of the final rule. They also contend the rule's stated national-security and overstay-reduction rationale is weak.

The rule drew nearly 22,000 public comments after DHS proposed it in August 2025, according to the Forbes review. The department made few substantive changes in the final version, adding only a short-term reprieve from filing for an extension during the first six months for students applying for post-completion Optional Practical Training.

The American Immigration Council noted the rule also applies to J-1 exchange visitors and to international journalists in I status. Journalists entering after Sept. 15 will be admitted for the length of their project or a maximum of 240 days, whichever is shorter. For journalists from China, the cap is 90 days.

The rule is classified as a major rule under the Congressional Review Act, giving Congress a window to review or block it before it takes root. Yale University's Office of International Students and Scholars noted in guidance posted to its website that Congress has the authority to delay or overturn the rule, but that action requires approval by both chambers and the president's signature or a veto override, making reversal uncommon.

Harvard's International Office told its students in guidance posted this week that the new rule does not affect their ability to start fall semester programs already underway. But students and scholars who leave the United States and reenter after Sept. 15 will have the new fixed-period rules applied upon reentry.

A nearly identical rule was proposed during the first Trump administration in September 2020 and withdrawn in 2021. DHS revived the effort in August 2025, according to the immigration law firm Grape Law's analysis of the regulation.

No federal court has issued an injunction blocking the rule as of Friday. University counsel offices at several institutions said they were continuing to review the full regulatory text.

Sources cited:
- Federal Register, DHS Final Rule, July 17, 2026 (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/17/2026-14439/establishing-a-fixed-time-period-of-admission-and-an-extension-of-stay-procedure-for-nonimmigrant)
- Forbes, Stuart Anderson, July 17, 2026 (https://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2026/07/17/dhs-finalizes-immigration-rule-that-imperils-status-of-many-students/)
- NACUBO, July 17, 2026 (https://www.nacubo.org/News/2026/7/Department-of-Homeland-Security-Issues-Final-Rule-on-International-Student-Visas)
- Yale Office of International Students and Scholars (https://oiss.yale.edu/immigration/elimination-of-duration-of-status-summary-faqs)
- Harvard International Office (https://www.hio.harvard.edu/visas-immigration/ds-rule-change)
- American Immigration Council, July 29, 2026 (https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/blog/biggest-changes-student-visas-in-generations-what-you-need-to-know/)
- Grape Law, July 17, 2026 (https://www.grapelaw.com/blog/us-immigration/f-1-visa-new-rules-2026-the-4-year-limit-explained)