Hello,
The White House Office of Management and Budget completed its review of a Department of Homeland Security rule ending “duration of status” for F and J nonimmigrants on June 17, 2026, according to NAFSA, the Association of International Educators. OMB’s sign-off is the last federal checkpoint before the rule can be published in the Federal Register — and as of today, that publication still hasn’t happened.
Once it does, the clock starts. The final rule is expected to take effect 60 days after Federal Register publication. NAFSA notes the review concluded “consistent with change,” meaning DHS may have adjusted the text before sending it forward — the exact wording won’t be public until it appears.
Here’s what’s at stake. The rule would end Duration of Status, the 30-year-old policy letting F-1 and J-1 holders stay in the U.S. for as long as their program lasts. In its place: a fixed admission period, capped at four years, tracked on your I-94 instead of an open-ended “D/S” notation. Students needing longer — PhD candidates, extended master’s programs, med/vet tracks — would have to file a formal Form I-539 extension with USCIS, plus biometrics. The post-graduation grace period would also shrink, from 60 days to 30.
DHS estimates the rule affects at least two million nonimmigrant visa holders annually, against a backdrop of nearly 1.2 million international students in the U.S. during the 2024–25 academic year. The proposal drew more than 34,800 public comments, most opposed, with universities warning it could squeeze STEM and AI pipelines where international students fill a large share of math and computer science graduate seats.
So what do you do now? Nothing changes today — current D/S rules still apply until the final rule is actually published and its 60-day clock runs out. But if your program runs longer than four years, don’t wait: talk to your DSO about extension planning before the rule lands. If you’re on OPT or STEM OPT timelines, start filing earlier than you normally would, since a compressed 30-day grace period leaves far less room for error.
Watch the Federal Register in the coming days — that’s the trigger point. The moment the rule is published, we’ll break down the exact effective date and what it means for your specific visa category.