Overview

• DHS published the proposal in the Federal Register, opening a 30‑day window for public comments before any rule can be finalized.
• The plan would replace duration‑of‑status with fixed admission limits: up to four years for F and J visas, 240 days for I visas, and 90 days for Chinese journalists, with extensions reviewed by USCIS.
• For students, the draft shortens the post‑program grace period to 30 days, bars changing academic programs while on the visa, and caps English‑language study at 24 months.
• DHS’s economic analysis projects $390.3 million to $392.4 million in annualized compliance costs over the next decade for applicants and U.S. institutions.
• Universities and international‑education groups warn the shift could deter applicants and harm competitiveness, and China condemns the journalist limit as discriminatory; the proposal revives a 2020 plan withdrawn in 2021.