Proposed Rule to Eliminate F-1/J-1 Duration of Status (D/S)
On August 28, the Department of Homeland Security published a to establish a fixed time period for students and exchange visitors in F and J immigration statuses. It is important to note that this is a proposed rule and is not currently in effect. When or if a final rule is published, it may be different than this proposed rule.
If this rule is implemented as proposed, key changes include:
- eliminating Duration of Status (D/S) and changing F and J statuses to have specific end dates for their permission to stay in the US, tied to their program end date, which could not exceed 4 years
- requiring students and exchange visitors who need additional time to apply for an extension of stay to US Citizenship and Immigration Services, with an application form and fee
- prohibiting F-1 graduate students from changing educational objectives or programs during a program of study
- prohibiting F-1 students from completing two degrees in the US at the same educational level or from changing to a lower educational level (from PhD to master's, for example)
- requiring F-1 students to complete an academic year before being able to change their educational objective or transfer to another school
- decreasing the F-1 grace period from 60 to 30 days
- requiring the collection of biometric information as part of an extension of stay application
Again, these are proposed changes and are not currently in effect. OIE will notify students and scholars if or when any actual changes are published, along with the effective date of changes.
In the meantime, we encourage the campus community to review the and make thoughtful public comments, as this may help improve or change the rule as it is currently proposed. Comments about the proposed rule must be submitted on or before Sept. 29, 2025, and may be submitted via the . Commenters are encouraged to review the . 麻豆村 and OIE staff are reviewing the proposed rule in order to make comments, as we did when a similar rule was proposed in 2021.
We know proposed rule changes can cause uncertainty and anxiety, and we want students and scholars to know that we are here to support you. Please reach out to us if you have any questions.