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20m ago

DHS Publishes Proposal To Cap Student and Exchange Stays at Four Years, Limit Media Visas to 240 Days

The revival of a 2020 rule moves into a 30-day comment period following swift warnings from higher‑education groups.

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
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)
Graduation students, faculty, and family gather in Harvard Yard on May 28, 2025 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Image for illustration purposes only.
Travelers use a mobile phone at Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, U.S., June 8, 2025. REUTERS/Bing Guan/File Photo

Overview

  • The proposed rule would replace open‑ended “duration of status” with fixed admission periods for F and J visa holders tied to program length, capped at four years.
  • I visas for foreign media would shift to an initial 240‑day stay with possible 240‑day extensions, while some Chinese passport holders would face a 90‑day limit.
  • Stays beyond the fixed end date would require extension applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with periodic DHS assessments via SEVP/SEVIS.
  • Additional changes include cutting the F‑1 post‑completion grace period from 60 to 30 days and tightening rules on graduate students switching programs mid‑course.
  • DHS filed the notice in the Federal Register, opening a short comment window, as the move—echoing a 2020 proposal withdrawn in 2021—follows a year that included about 6,000 student visa revocations confirmed by the State Department.