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3h ago

DHS Proposes Ending ‘Duration of Status,’ Capping F and J Visas at 4 Years and I Visas at 240 Days

A 30-day public comment window now opens before the rule can be finalized.

CAMBRIDGE, MA - MAY 29: A Harvard University graduate with a message in support of international students on her mortarboard sits with fellow students at the start of commencement exercises at Harvard University in Harvard Yard May 29, 2025, in Cambridge, MA. (Photo by Josh Reynolds/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)
View of statue of John Harvard on the campus of this private Ivy League research university, Cambridge, MA, July 15, 2025. Image for illustration purposes only.
A general view of a U.S. State Department sign outside the U.S. State Department building in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 11, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo
Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Image for illustration purposes only.

Overview

  • The notice of proposed rulemaking would replace open-ended stays for students (F), exchange visitors (J), and foreign media (I) with fixed admission periods tied to program length.
  • Most F and J admissions would be limited to four years, I visas to 240 days with possible 240-day extensions, and some Chinese journalists to 90 days.
  • The plan would reduce the F-1 post-completion grace period from 60 to 30 days and require extensions of stay to be filed with USCIS for continued residence.
  • DHS says the changes target visa abuse and strengthen oversight, reviving a 2020 Trump-era proposal that the Biden administration withdrew in 2021.
  • Education groups warn of deterrence and economic harm, and Implan estimates a 10% drop in international student spending could cut U.S. GDP by about $3.4 billion and cost roughly 26,800 jobs.