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yesterday

DHS Proposes Fixed Terms for Student, Exchange and Media Visas, Ending ‘Duration of Status’

Officials say stricter time limits will improve oversight, with a 30‑day public comment period before any rule becomes final.

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 draft rule would cap F and J stays at up to four years tied to program length and set an initial 240‑day admission for I visas, with proposed 90‑day limits for Chinese journalists.
  • Ending the longstanding “duration of status” framework, the plan would require affected visa holders to file extension requests with USCIS to remain beyond their fixed date.
  • Other changes include reducing the F‑1 post‑completion grace period from 60 to 30 days and restricting graduate students from changing programs mid‑course.
  • DHS cites curbing “visa abuse” and strengthening vetting as the rationale, reviving a 2020 proposal that the Biden administration later withdrew.
  • Education groups including NAFSA and the Presidents Alliance warn the changes could deter international enrollment and burden universities, with roughly 1.6 million F‑1 students and hundreds of thousands of J and thousands of I visa holders potentially affected.