The Department of Homeland Security said Thursday it has finalized a rule ending nearly five decades of open-ended stays for international students, replacing the “duration of status” system with fixed admission periods capped at four years that will affect more than 1 million people studying, training or working as exchange visitors in the United States.
Under the new framework, F-1 academic students and J-1 exchange visitors will be admitted through the program end date listed on their Form I-20 or DS-2019 certificate, subject to a maximum of four years regardless of how long their degree actually takes, plus a 30-day grace period on either end of their stay — half the 60-day departure window students currently receive. English-language program students face a shorter two-year cap. The rule also applies to holders of I visas, the category covering foreign media representatives working in the U.S. Students will additionally face new restrictions on switching majors or transferring institutions, particularly during their first year of study, and those needing more time will have to file for an extension through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services rather than simply remaining enrolled.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the change as a matter of national security, saying the agency was “reclaiming its ability to properly screen, vet, and monitor individuals within our borders.” He said the rule was designed to keep foreign students focused on completing their studies and returning home once they finish. DHS acknowledged in the rule that international enrollment could decline as a result, but said it had no comparable precedent from which to estimate how large that decline might be.
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The change will touch a broad swath of current students: DHS has said more than 1 million international students and scholars are now studying in the United States, and cited data showing 2,100 people who entered on F-1 visas between 2000 and 2010 remain in that status today, a pattern officials have pointed to as evidence of the abuse the rule is meant to curb.
A similar rule was proposed during Trump’s first term but was withdrawn after President Biden took office. The current version was proposed again in August 2025 and drew nearly 22,000 public comments during a monthlong comment period, most of them opposed; the White House budget office completed its review in June, and the rule is set to take effect Sept. 15, 60 days after its publication in the Federal Register this week. Duration of status itself dates to a 1978 regulation that took effect in 1979, intended at the time to ease the workload of what was then the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
International education groups reacted with alarm. Fanta Aw, chief executive of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, called the change “a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively.” The American Immigration Lawyers Association said the rule duplicates monitoring already handled through the government’s SEVIS tracking system. Zuzana C. Wootson of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration said international students “drive innovation, create jobs, and advance groundbreaking research,” and argued the government should be welcoming top talent rather than adding new barriers at a time when international enrollment is already falling.
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Much of the criticism has centered on capacity: USCIS carried a backlog of more than 11.65 million pending cases as of the final quarter of 2025, with average processing times exceeding a year, according to the American Immigration Council’s tracker of agency data. Delo Blough, a retired director of international student services, said she doubts many extension requests will be approved quickly or consistently, warning that immigration officers may not understand the range of legitimate reasons a degree can take longer than four years and that denials cannot be appealed.
Some Republican lawmakers welcomed the change. Missouri state Sen. Rick Brattin, who is running for Congress, wrote on social media that the rule “stops visa abuse, and puts real vetting back in place which is important for national security.” Sen. Eric Schmitt, also of Missouri, credited the rule with ending what he called the phenomenon of “forever students” who enroll indefinitely to remain in the country.
Current students admitted under duration of status will generally be allowed to remain through their existing program period or for up to four additional years once the rule takes effect; those who file on time for post-completion or STEM optional practical training will not need to submit a separate extension application under transition provisions DHS included in the final rule.