DHS Has Ended the Duration of Status for Students. Here Is What the Regulation Actually Says

For more than thirty years, an F-1 student's Form I-94 has carried two alphabets where a date should be: D/S. Duration of status. Stay as long as your program lasts, keep studying, keep your I-20 current, and the clock never runs out.

Those two alphabets are gone.

On July 17, 2026, DHS publishes a 553-page final rule titled Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media (FR Doc. 2026-14439). It takes effect 60 days later, on September 15, 2026. From that day forward, an F-1 admission carries a date, and when that date passes, you are out of status. Not "out of status upon a finding by USCIS." Out of status.

Below is what the regulation says, in its own words, and what it means for you.

"An F-1 student is admitted for a fixed period of time, which is the period necessary to complete the course of study indicated on the Form I-20, or successor form, not to exceed a period of 4 years, plus additional times noted in this paragraph (f)(5)(i)."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)

You are admitted until the program end date on your I-20 or for 4 years, whichever comes first. If your program runs for five years (and plenty of PhD programs run for seven), you are admitted for four and file for the rest. The four-year figure is not a lifetime cap on F-1 status. It is a cap on any single admission or extension.

You still get 30 days before your report date and 30 days after, and neither counts against the four years.

Three limits sit inside this provision:

• Students in English language training programs are capped at 24 months, plus the 30-day departure period. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)(A)
• Students at a public high school (including a charter school or other school funded by U.S. taxpayers) are capped at a total of 12 months, including school breaks and vacations. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)(C)
• Your F-2 spouse and children cannot be admitted past your own authorized period. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)(E)

"An F-1 student who has completed a course of study and any authorized practical training will be allowed an additional 30-day period from the program end date or the 4 year maximum period of admission, or the end date of the approved employment authorization for post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, as applicable, to prepare for departure from the United States, or to otherwise seek to maintain lawful status..."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)

Sixty days become thirty. The rule also strikes "60" and inserts "30" in the OPT provisions at 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(B)(2) and (f)(11)(i)(D). If you graduate and want to change to H-4, or B-2, or file an I-539 for anything at all, you now have half the runway you had.

The same paragraph carries two teeth that are easy to miss. Withdraw from classes with your DSO's authorization, and you get 15 days, not 30. Fail to maintain a full course of study or otherwise fall out of status, and you get nothing: the regulation says you are "not eligible for any additional period of time for departure and must leave the country immediately."

Read that sentence twice. Under D/S, a status violation was a problem you could often work through from inside the United States. The new text does not invite you to stay and sort it out.

This is the change that will reorganize your life around a form.

"USCIS may grant an extension of stay to an F-1 student who has maintained his or her F-1 status, but who is unable to complete his or her program by the end of his or her authorized period of admission."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(i)

Today, if your research runs long, your DSO updates SEVIS and issues a new I-20. Done in a week. Starting September 15, 2026, your DSO's endorsement is the beginning of the process, not the end of it. You file an extension of stay with USCIS, pay the fee, and appear for any biometrics USCIS requires under 8 CFR 103.16.

Read the eligibility test carefully, because it has two doors and most students will walk through the first one.

"(C) Has one of the following: (1) A currently issued Form I-20, or successor form, indicating additional time is left to complete his or her program of study; or (2) Documentation demonstrating the request for an extension is based on one of the following reasons..."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(i)(C)

If your I-20 still shows time left on your program (the five-year PhD hitting its four-year admission wall, the master's that straddles the I-94 date), you qualify under (C)(1). You show the I-20. You do not have to justify anything.

The second door is for students whose program end date itself has to move:

"(i) A compelling academic reason, such as a change of major or research topic or unexpected research problems. Unexpected research problems are those caused by an unexpected change in faculty advisor, need to refine an investigatory topic based on initial research, research funding delays, and similar issues. Delays including, but not limited to, those caused by academic probation or suspension or a student's repeated inability or unwillingness to complete his or her course of study are not acceptable reasons for an extension; (ii) A documented illness or medical condition that is a compelling medical reason, such as a serious injury, that is supported by medical documentation from a licensed medical doctor... or (iii) Circumstances beyond the student's control, including a natural disaster, national health crisis, or the closure of an institution."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(i)(C)(2)

Your program ran past its end date and you need a new one. Now a federal officer who has never met you decides whether your advisor's departure or your grant's lapse was compelling. If you had a rough semester and landed on academic probation, the regulation has already told you the answer.

Note what neither door forgives. Both are open only to a student who "has maintained his or her F-1 status," is "currently pursuing a full course of study," and "must never have engaged in any unauthorized employment." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(i)(A) and (B); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(A)

Two timing traps:

• Your extension must be received by USCIS on or before your authorized stay expires, which includes the 30-day period. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(B)
• File during that 30-day window, and you may continue a full course of study, but you "may not continue or begin engaging in practical training or other employment" until it is approved. File early or stop working. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(B)

If your DSO enters the program extension in SEVIS after your I-20 end date has passed, an extension is no longer available to you at all. You file for reinstatement. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(viii)

And if the extension is denied after your admission period has expired:

"If an F-1 student's extension of stay application is denied and the F-1 student's authorized admission period has expired, the F-1 student and his or her dependents must immediately depart the United States."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(vii)

The rule does not leave you frozen while USCIS thinks.

"An F-1 student whose status as indicated on the Arrival/Departure Record, Form I-94, or successor form has expired will be considered to be in a period of authorized stay if he or she has timely filed an extension of stay application pursuant to paragraph (f)(7) of this section until USCIS issues a decision on the extension of stay application... an F-1 student's current on-campus, curricular practical training (CPT), and severe economic hardship authorized employment is automatically extended during the pendency of the extension of stay application, but such automatic extension may not exceed 240 days..."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

Timely filing buys you an authorized stay for as long as the case is pending, and it keeps your on-campus job, your CPT, and hardship employment alive for up to 240 days.

Separate the two benefits, because they do not travel together. Filing during the 30-day departure window is still timely, so you keep the authorized stay. What you lose is the work: the regulation says a student who files in that window "does not receive an automatic extension of authorized employment, including on-campus, CPT, and severe economic hardship, and must wait for approval of the extension of stay application (and employment authorization application, if required) before engaging in CPT or employment." File before your I-94 expires or your paycheck stops. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

Note what the regulation does not say. It does not tell you how unlawful presence is counted if a timely-filed extension is denied months later. Under INA 212(a)(9)(B)(ii), unlawful presence runs from the expiration of the period of stay authorized, and that period now has a date on it. The answer will turn on USCIS policy guidance rather than this rule text, and until that guidance appears, treat the question as open and dangerous.

"An alien who has completed a program after [September 15, 2026], in the United States as an F-1 student at one educational level may not maintain, be admitted, or otherwise be provided F-1 status through a program at the same educational level or a lower educational level."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(C)

Finished your master's and want a second master's to buy another shot at the H-1B lottery? That door is closed. So is the bachelor's-after-a-bachelor's route, and so is dropping down to a community college program to hold status.

Watch the trigger date. The bar reaches a student who completes a program "after [September 15, 2026]." If you finished your master's in May 2026, the text does not reach you on its face. I would not build a plan on that reading without seeing how DHS explains the provision, but the date is in the regulation and it is worth asking about.

"An F-1 student at any level below the graduate degree level may not transfer or change educational objectives, i.e., majors or educational levels, within the first academic year of a program of study, unless an exception is authorized by SEVP for extenuating circumstances... An F-1 student at the graduate degree level or above may not change educational objectives at any point during their program of study. An F-1 student at the graduate degree level or above may not transfer at any point during their program of study, unless an exception is authorized by SEVP..."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(A)

An undergraduate is locked into school and a major for a full academic year. A graduate student is locked into a major and level for the duration, and locked into the school unless SEVP grants an exception for something like a campus closure. A toxic lab is not on the list.

Be precise about what is barred, because the rule defines the term for you: "'Educational objectives' refers to an F-1 student's educational level or major." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(8)(i). Changing your research topic does not change your educational objective. In fact, the extension provision expressly treats "a change of major or research topic" as a compelling academic reason to give you more time ( 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(i)(C)(2)(i)). So one paragraph of this rule forbids a graduate student from changing a major, and another paragraph rewards the same student with an extension for having done it. Someone will litigate that.

DHS has given itself until September 14, 2028, to delay or suspend these three provisions if implementation proves infeasible, with notice in the Federal Register and on the SEVP website. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(E)

Your OPT is not being taken away. It is being wrapped in paperwork.

"Aliens seeking admission to the United States as an F nonimmigrant to pursue post-completion OPT or a STEM OPT extension may be admitted until the end date of the approved employment authorization for post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, or if the Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765... is still pending with USCIS... until the Designated School Official's recommended employment end date..."

8 CFR 214.1(a)(4)(iii)

Going forward, a student recommended for post-completion OPT "must apply for an employment authorization and either apply for an extension of stay with USCIS or seek admission through CBP after travel abroad." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(D)

Two filings instead of one. Except for a window:

"Notwithstanding this paragraph (m)(1), an F-1 student recommended for post-completion OPT who files before his or her period of admission expires, including the 60 day departure period, an Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765... on or before [March 18, 2027], is not required to file an Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, Form I-539, or successor form for the requested period of post-completion OPT."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)(i)

If you are here on September 15, 2026, and you get your I-765 in by March 18, 2027, you skip the I-539 entirely. The same grace applies to STEM OPT. Miss it, and you are filing both. DHS reserves discretion to extend that window in six-month increments by Federal Register notice, which is a promise of nothing. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)(iii)

If your I-765 is already pending on September 15, 2026, you do not refile, and you do not file an I-539, "unless otherwise requested by USCIS." 8 CFR 214.1(m)(2)

There is also a genuinely sensible provision here, and it is narrower than it first appears. If you were admitted on your DSO's recommended OPT or STEM OPT employment end date with a pending I-765, and your EAD then expires before the fixed date on your I-94, you remain in a period of authorized stay from the EAD expiration until that I-94 date. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(i)(D)

Cap-gap survives intact. A timely, nonfrivolous, cap-subject H-1B change of status petition still automatically extends your F-1 status and OPT employment authorization to April 1 or the petition's validity start date, whichever is earlier, and it still covers your F-2 dependents. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(vii)

"Aliens with F or J status who are properly maintaining their status on [September 15, 2026], and who were admitted for duration of status are authorized to remain in the United States in F or J nonimmigrant status until the later date of either the expiration date on an Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766... or the program end date noted on their Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, as applicable, not to exceed a period of 4 years from [September 15, 2026], plus the departure period of 60 days for F nonimmigrants, which is [November 14, 2030]..."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)

You are not thrown out on day one. You hold the later of your EAD end date or your I-20 program end date, subject to an outer wall of September 15, 2030, plus 60 days.

Sixty days. Not thirty.

For the next four years, this country will run two F-1 grace periods side by side: 60 days for students grandfathered under D/S, 30 days for everyone admitted or extended after September 15, 2026. Two students, same campus, same graduation date, different departure deadlines. Ask your DSO which one you are, and get the answer in writing.

"If an alien in F, I, or J nonimmigrant status timely files an application for an extension of stay, USCIS will not consider the application abandoned if the alien departs the United States while the application is pending, provided that when the alien seeks admission, the previously authorized period of admission has not expired, and the alien seeks admission for the balance of the previously authorized admission period."

"An application for extension of stay in F, I, or J nonimmigrant status may be deemed abandoned if an alien departs the United States and seeks admission with a Form I-20 or DS-2019 for a program end date beyond their previously authorized period of admission while the application for an extension of stay is pending. USCIS will not consider as abandoned any corresponding applications for employment authorization."

8 CFR 214.1(c)(8)(i) and (ii)

Leave with a pending extension and come back on your old I-94 dates, and you are fine. Leave and come back on the new I-20 you filed the extension for, and you may have just abandoned it. The I-765 survives; the I-539 does not. Carry your I-797C receipt when you travel. 8 CFR 214.1(c)(8)(iii)

Change of status is harsher and admits no exception:

"If an alien timely files an application to change to another nonimmigrant status but departs the United States while the application is pending, USCIS will consider the change of status application abandoned."

8 CFR 248.1(f)

• If you are admitted or extended after September 15, 2026, find the "admit until" date on your I-94 and put it in your calendar with a six-month warning. That date, not your I-20, now governs your legal existence in the United States. If you were already here under D/S, your old I-94 will still read D/S, and your deadline comes from 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1) instead, so calculate it and write it down.
• If you are on post-completion OPT or heading into STEM OPT, file your I-765 on or before March 18, 2027, and skip the I-539. This is the single most valuable date in the rule for students already here.
• Know which extension you are filing. If your I-20 still shows time left on the program, the I-20 is your case. If your program end date itself has to move, you need documented proof of an academic, medical, or beyond-your-control reason, so build that record as it happens: advisor letters, funding correspondence, dated research changes. "I need more time" is not a compelling academic reason. A documented advisor change is.
• Never file an extension during your 30-day departure window if you are working. File before your I-94 expires or your employment stops.
• Stop planning a same-level or lower-level degree as a status strategy. After September 15, 2026, it will not be available.
• Do not travel with a pending I-539 unless you are returning on your existing I-94 period, and do not travel at all with a pending change of status.
• If you are here on September 15, 2026, get written confirmation from your DSO of your transition date under 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1), including which grace period applies to you.

The government spent 553 pages explaining why your I-94 needs a date on it. You will spend the next four years proving you can meet it. Start with the calendar.

The End of Duration of Status: Answers for F-1 and J-1 Students

DHS published the final rule replacing duration of status with fixed admission periods on July 17, 2026 (FR Doc. 2026-14439). It takes effect on September 15, 2026. Below are answers to the questions students are asking, with the regulation quoted in its own words so you can read it yourself.

If you completed your first Master's before September 15, 2026, the bar does not reach you on the face of the regulation, and you may finish your current program. The restriction is triggered by completing a program after the effective date, not by being enrolled in one.

Here is the provision:

"An alien who has completed a program after [September 15, 2026], in the United States as an F-1 student at one educational level may not maintain, be admitted, or otherwise be provided F-1 status through a program at the same educational level or a lower educational level."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(C)

Read the trigger carefully. The person barred is the one who "has completed a program after" the effective date. If your first Master's finished in May 2026, that completion is behind you and the text does not attach to it. Your current second Master's is also protected by the transition provision, which lets students properly maintaining F-1 status on September 15, 2026 remain through their program end date. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)

Now the part that will hurt. When you finish this second Master's, you are a student who has completed a program after September 15, 2026. A third Master's is gone. So is any bachelor's, associate, or certificate program at or below the level you just finished. Moving up is still permitted:

"An F-1 student who has completed a program in the United States at one educational level and begins a new program at a higher educational level is considered to be maintaining F-1 status if otherwise complying with requirements under this paragraph (f)."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(B)

One caution and one small hope. The caution: this is my reading of the text as filed, and DHS explains its provisions in a 553-page preamble that may describe the trigger differently. Do not commit to a plan on the strength of a plain-text reading alone. The hope: DHS reserved the power to postpone this provision entirely.

"Until [September 14, 2028], DHS may delay or suspend the implementation of paragraphs (f)(5)(ii)(A) through (C) of this section, in its discretion, if it determines that implementation is infeasible for any reason."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(ii)(E)

Yes. CPT survives. The rule does not touch your eligibility for it, does not add a filing, and does not shorten it. What changes is the wall it now runs into.

Three things to understand.

First, your CPT cannot outlive your admission period. Your I-94 now carries a date, and everything you do in F-1 status stops at that date unless USCIS extends it.

Second, and this is the part employers get wrong: your I-94 date is not your work end date. Your I-94 date includes the 30-day departure period tacked on after your program ends. Your employment authorization ends 30 days earlier.

"For purposes of employment eligibility verification (Form I-9) under 8 CFR 274a.2(b)(1)(v), for CPT under paragraph (f)(10)(i) of this section, on-campus employment under paragraph (f)(9)(i) of this section... the alien's authorized employment period, which ends 30 days before their Form I-94 or successor form admit until date... when combined with a notice issued by USCIS indicating receipt of an extension of stay application, is considered unexpired for up to 240 days or until USCIS issues a decision on the extension of stay application, or for CPT, until the CPT end date authorized by the designated school official on the Form I-20 or successor form, whichever is earlier..."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

Third, if you file an extension of stay on time, your CPT keeps running while USCIS decides:

"Subject to paragraphs (f)(9)(i) and (ii) and (f)(10)(i) of this section and 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(i) and (iii) and (c)(3)(iii), an F-1 student's current on-campus, curricular practical training (CPT), and severe economic hardship authorized employment is automatically extended during the pendency of the extension of stay application, but such automatic extension may not exceed 240 days beginning from the end date of his or her period of admission as indicated on the alien's Arrival/Departure Record, Form I-94, or successor form."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

That automatic extension has a hard condition attached, and it is the single most expensive mistake available to you under this rule:

"If an F-1 student files an extension of stay application during the 30-day period provided in paragraph (f)(5)(v) of this section, he or she does not receive an automatic extension of authorized employment, including on-campus, CPT, and severe economic hardship, and must wait for approval of the extension of stay application (and employment authorization application, if required) before engaging in CPT or employment."

8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

File before your I-94 expires and you keep working. File during the 30-day departure window, and you stop working until approval, even though the filing is still timely for status purposes.

Nothing, that day. Your CPT continues to the program end date your DSO endorsed on your I-20, with no new filing.

"Subject to 8 CFR 274a.14, any authorized employment or training continues until the program end date on such F or J nonimmigrant's Form I-20 or DS-2019, as applicable and as endorsed by the designated school official or responsible officer for employment or training, or expiration date on the alien's Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766, or successor form."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)

Your transition date is the later of your EAD expiration or the program end date on your I-20, with an outer wall of September 15, 2030 plus 60 days. CPT is authorized by your DSO on the I-20 rather than by an EAD, so for most CPT students the date that matters is the I-20 program end date.

Where it bites is the day your program needs to run past that date. Then you file, and the sequence matters more than anything else in this rule:

• File the extension of stay with USCIS before your I-94 or transition date expires. Not during the 30 days after.
• Your CPT then rides along automatically for up to 240 days, or until the CPT end date your DSO authorized on the I-20, whichever comes first.
• File late in the 30-day window and your CPT stops on the spot until USCIS approves.
• Do not leave the country with the extension pending unless you are returning on your existing I-94 period. 8 CFR 214.1(c)(8)

One more thing your employer needs to hear from you. Your work authorization ends 30 days before the date printed on your I-94. Tell your CPT employer's HR that now, in writing, because their I-9 reverification calendar will otherwise be set to the wrong day.

On September 15, 2026, nothing, provided you are properly maintaining status. You are not required to file anything to be transitioned. The transition happens by operation of law:

"Aliens with F or J status who are properly maintaining their status on [September 15, 2026], and who were admitted for duration of status are authorized to remain in the United States in F or J nonimmigrant status until the later date of either the expiration date on an Employment Authorization Document, Form I-766, or successor form, or the program end date noted on their Form I-20 or Form DS-2019, as applicable, not to exceed a period of 4 years from [September 15, 2026], plus the departure period of 60 days for F nonimmigrants, which is [November 14, 2030], and 30 days for J nonimmigrants, which is [October 15, 2030]."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)

Your old I-94 will still read D/S. Do not let that reassure you. Your deadline now exists whether or not anything is printed on it, so calculate it and write it down.

You must file an extension of stay with USCIS when any of the following is true:

"Aliens who need additional time to complete their current program of study, including requests for post-completion optional practical training (OPT) and the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) OPT extension, or exchange visitor program, including academic training, or would like to start a new program of study or exchange visitor program must apply for an extension of stay with USCIS in accordance with paragraph (c)(2) of this section for an admission period to a fixed date."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)

Four moves to make now.

If you are on OPT or heading into STEM OPT, get the I-765 in by March 18, 2027. This is the most valuable date in the rule for anyone already here.

"Notwithstanding this paragraph (m)(1), an F-1 student recommended for post-completion OPT who files before his or her period of admission expires, including the 60 day departure period, an Application for Employment Authorization, Form I-765, or successor form... on or before [March 18, 2027], is not required to file an Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status, Form I-539, or successor form for the requested period of post-completion OPT."

8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)(i)

The same exemption runs for STEM OPT. Miss the date and you file two applications instead of one. If your I-765 is already pending on September 15, 2026, you neither refile nor add an I-539, "unless otherwise requested by USCIS." 8 CFR 214.1(m)(2)

If you are J-1, understand that your DS-2019 no longer keeps you legal. This sentence is the whole ballgame for exchange visitors:

"A program end date as indicated on the Form DS-2019 or successor form, standing alone, does not allow aliens with J status to remain in the United States in lawful status. An alien in J-1 status seeking to extend his or her stay beyond the currently authorized period of admission must apply for an extension of stay, including if a sponsor issues a Form DS-2019 or successor form extending an alien's program end date for any reason, including for a request for reinstatement, academic training, change of program, or program extension or the alien requires additional time to complete his or her program."

8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)(iv)

Your Responsible Officer's action in SEVIS is no longer sufficient. If your RO updates your program status or end date after the date on your most recent DS-2019 has passed, you have 30 days from that update to get an extension of stay to USCIS. 8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)(iv)(D)

J-1 filings made on or before March 18, 2027, get a better deal while pending. A timely-filed extension lets you continue your program activities, authorized training, and employment while USCIS decides, up to the program end date on the DS-2019 filed with the application. After that window, the ordinary 240-day rule applies. 8 CFR 214.2(j)(1)(vii)(A)

Time your filing before the departure window, not during it. Your extension must be received by USCIS on or before your authorized stay expires. Filing in the last 30 days is still timely, but it costs you the right to keep working. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(B); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(viii)

Do not travel carelessly. Departure with a pending change of status kills it outright, with no exception in the text. 8 CFR 248.1(f). Departure with a pending extension of stay is survivable only if you return on your existing I-94 period. Come back on the new I-20 or DS-2019 you filed for and the extension may be deemed abandoned, though your I-765 survives. 8 CFR 214.1(c)(8)(i) and (ii). Carry your I-797C receipt. 8 CFR 214.1(c)(8)(iii)

And if you changed to F or J status before September 15, 2026 and then travel, you will be readmitted to your program end date, capped at four years. 8 CFR 248.1(e)

The one sentence to remember: your DSO and your RO used to be able to fix your timeline in an afternoon. Now only USCIS can, and only if you ask before the clock runs out.

This FAQ is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is created by this communication. Please consult with a qualified immigration attorney regarding your specific circumstances. Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, PC | Immigration.com

Federal Register public inspection page, FR Doc. 2026-14439 (scheduled publication July 17, 2026): https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2026-14439

Unpublished rule text (public inspection PDF): https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-14439.pdf

Regulatory provisions cited: 8 CFR 214.1(a)(4), 214.1(c)(2), 214.1(c)(3)(v), 214.1(c)(8), 214.1(m); 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5), (f)(7), (f)(8), (f)(10)(ii)(D), (f)(11); 8 CFR 248.1(e) and (f); 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6), (b)(10), (c)(3)(iii); INA 212(a)(9)(B)(ii).

Legal Disclaimer and Terms of Use: This is an AI-assisted document expected to be updated frquently. The materials, research, templates, and summary tables in this document are provided strictly for general informational and educational purposes, and do not constitute formal legal advice, a solicitation of legal services, or any guarantee of current regulatory accuracy under rapidly changing immigration policies. Transmission, receipt, or review of these materials does not establish or imply an attorney-client relationship, and readers are cautioned not to act or rely upon any information contained herein without first seeking professional counsel from a qualified immigration attorney licensed in the appropriate jurisdiction to evaluate their specific factual circumstances.

Scope note. The article is F-1 only. The rule makes parallel changes for J-1 exchange visitors (four-year cap, 30-day grace, extension of stay to USCIS at 214.2(j)(1)(ii) and (iv)) and imposes far shorter periods on I nonimmigrants (240 days generally, 90 days for holders of PRC passports other than Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR, at 214.2(i)(3)). I will add the J-1 piece.

• F Visa
• CPT
• F-1 Visa
• F-2 Visa
• Form I-20
• OPT
• STEM