The end of Duration of Status: what F-1 and J-1 visa holders and their employers need to know

Key dates:  Published July 17, 2026. Takes effect around September 15, 2026, which is 60 days after publication. That 60-day window is the time to get organized.

The Department of Homeland Security has published a final rule ending “Duration of Status” for F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors. It is one of the more consequential procedural changes to these categories in decades, and it is worth understanding now rather than scrambling later.

“Duration of Status” (D/S) is the open-ended admission that has applied to F-1 and J-1 nonimmigrants for decades. Instead of staying as long as you are maintaining your program, you will now be admitted until a specific date tied to your I-20 or DS-2019 end date, capped at 4 years at a time. Anyone who needs more time must file a formal extension of stay (EOS) with USCIS.

The rule is not effective immediately. It is scheduled for publication on July 17 and takes effect 60 days later, around September 15, 2026, subject to congressional review.

What is actually changing

The core shift is from an open-ended stay to a fixed end date printed on your Form I-94. Your admission will be tied to the program end date on your I-20 or DS-2019, capped at 4 years per admission, and shown as a fixed “admit until” date on your Form I-94. To stay beyond that date, you file an extension of stay (Form I-539) with USCIS instead of getting an extension through your school. The post-completion grace period for F-1 students drops from 60 days to 30 for anyone entering or re-entering on or after the effective date. Graduate-level F-1 students also face new limits on changing educational objectives, transferring schools mid-program, or moving to a same or lower level program after finishing one, and students in English language programs are capped at 24 months in total. The same fixed-date framework applies to I media visa holders as well.

What this means for you

F-1 student currently in school (including on CPT)

If you are already here in D/S status, a transition provision applies: your admission converts to a fixed date, your current program end date plus the now shorter grace period, capped at 4 years from the rule’s effective date. If your program runs longer than 4 years, such as a PhD or dual-degree, you will need to file a formal extension (Form I-539) with USCIS before your fixed period expires, rather than getting one through your school.

On OPT or STEM OPT

This is the group most likely to feel the change, and there is an important transition window. If you are already in F-1 status and in the US when the rule takes effect, you can apply for OPT or STEM OPT for roughly the first 6 months without the added extension of stay (Form I-539) filing, as long as you do not leave the country. After that window, an I-539 EOS is expected to become standard alongside your I-765. If you file a timely EOS, certain work authorization can be automatically extended for up to 180 days while it is pending.

J-1 exchange visitor

The same shift applies: a fixed date tied to your DS-2019, capped at 4 years, with a formal extension process required to stay longer. This affects researchers, professors, physicians, and trainees on multi-year appointments.

If you need to travel: your visa stamp and your D/S status are two different things. A valid stamp does not need replacing. Re-entering after the rule takes effect should trigger your new fixed I-94 date, so check your I-94 expiration going forward to avoid a status or work-authorization lapse.

For in-house immigration and HR teams

If your workforce includes F-1 or J-1 talent, this moves extensions from a rare event to a recurring, budgeted process. A few things to start now:

• Audit your F-1 and J-1 population, if you have not already, so you know who is affected and when.
• Start collecting I-20, DS-2019, EAD, and current I-94 records so you have a baseline once fixed dates are actually assigned.
• Budget for a real increase in extension filings, including fees, counsel time, and biometrics. This was close to a zero-cost category before and will not be going forward.
• Loop in outside counsel early on how EOS filings interact with OPT and STEM OPT timing specifically, since public guidance on that mechanic is still evolving.

Casium will keep posting updates as the details firm up and as guidance on the transition period becomes clearer. If you manage a foreign national workforce, now is the time to build extension timing into your planning.

Read the full rule: federalregister.gov/d/2026-14439

This post is general information about a developing regulation, not legal advice, and it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Rule details, including transition timing, may change before and after the effective date. For guidance on your specific situation, consult a qualified immigration attorney.