Overview

• The draft rule would replace duration‑of‑status with fixed admissions of up to four years for F and J visas and 240 days for I visas, with a 90‑day limit for Chinese journalists.
• Holders would face more frequent reviews, including required extensions, biometric data collection and periodic consular interviews, with journalists expected to interview at least annually.
• Student‑specific changes include a 30‑day post‑graduation departure window, restrictions on changing graduate programs and a 24‑month cap on English‑language programs.
• DHS estimates $390.3–$392.4 million in annualized compliance costs over the next decade, and projects large volumes of extension filings such as roughly 205,000 F‑1 requests per year.
• The measure revives a 2020 Trump initiative withdrawn in 2021 and has drawn opposition from academic groups and a diplomatic complaint from China over the 90‑day limit on its journalists.