July 17, 2026
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a federal rule change July 17 that ends the longstanding “duration of status” (D/S) rule for international students and scholars. The rule is effective September 15.
Previously, the D/S rule allowed nonimmigrants granted entry into the U.S. in F or J status to remain until they completed their degree or other program of study. Under the previous rule, any changes were reviewed and documented by International Student Services (ISS) and International Faculty and Staff Services (IFSS).
With the published rule change, F-1 and J-1 international students (including interns) and scholars, and their accompanying F-2 and J-2 dependents, will be given a fixed end date of lawful stay in the U.S. The fixed end date will be for four years or through the date of program completion, whichever is earlier. Extension requests and changes to a program of study under the new rule must now go through ISS or IFSS, and then to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for review and decision.
The new rule also makes changes to other F-1 immigration regulations, among them are additional restrictions on international students’ transfer to another U.S. institution.
There is a 60-day period from July 17’s announcement until the new process takes effect on September 15.
Letters were sent to all F and J visa international students and international scholars with more information about the rule change and its implications. Additionally, ISS and IFSS have created web resources with detailed information about this change and will post related FAQs to help our students and scholars better understand its impact. As this rule has just been published, all questions regarding processes and stakeholder impact may not immediately have answers. ISS and IFSS will continue to review current and new information. These resources will be updated as more information becomes available.