A long-anticipated rule that would fundamentally reshape how international students and exchange visitors are admitted to the United States has cleared its final regulatory hurdle. On June 17, 2026, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) completed its review of DHS’s final rule ending “Duration of Status,” returning it with a disposition of “Consistent with Change.” The rule now heads to the Federal Register for publication.
Under the current Duration of Status (D/S) framework, F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors are admitted for as long as they maintain their program — an open-ended period with no fixed end date on their admission record. The final rule replaces D/S with admission for a fixed time period tied to the program end date listed on the Form I-20 (F visas) or DS-2019 (J visas), capped at four years. Shorter admission windows would apply to certain categories, such as foreign-language training students and I-visa foreign media representatives.
The practical consequence is significant: students in longer programs — many PhD tracks, combined degrees, or research appointments — would need to file an extension of stay with USCIS to continue beyond their initial admission period, rather than simply maintaining status through their school. That introduces a new filing, a new fee, and a new adjudication timeline into the lives of hundreds of thousands of international students and scholars.
Timing matters. The rule becomes effective 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register, so the exact compliance date depends on when DHS submits it for publication. Schools, designated school officials, and employers of STEM OPT and other work-authorized students should begin planning now — reviewing which students would need extensions, and when.
For those on the employment-based green card track, the change is a reminder that maintaining lawful status is foundational. International students pursuing an EB-2 NIW or EB-1A self-petition while studying or working on OPT should track their admission dates closely and file extensions well ahead of expiration to avoid any status gap.
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