Duration of Status Updates

Fixed Period of Stay in the U.S. (Elimination of Duration of Status D/S)

What you need to know:

  1. On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issuedafinal ruleentitled,.Once the final rule takes effect, it will eliminate“duration of status (D/S) on the Form I-94Admit Until Date (AUD) andwill replace itwith a fixed period of stay that admits all students and scholars on F-1 and J-1 visas up until an exact date. In most cases, the Admit Until Date (AUD) on an individual’s Form I-94 will coincide with theprogramend date noted on the Form I-20 or DS-2019, or a maximum period of four years, whichever is shorter. Students and scholars needing more than four years to complete their programobjectiveswill need to file an extension application through USCIS after the rule takes effect. *The final rule goes into effect on September 15, 2026.

EffectiveSeptember 15, 2026, the following changes will apply to F-1 students and J-1 exchange visitors Please read carefully:

  1. FixedAdmit Until Date (AUD)on the I94The I94 willlist a specific departure date, called the Admit Until Date (AUD), whenyou enter the U.S. In most cases, the AUD will coorelate to the program end date on the Form涅20 or DS2019, or a maximum period of four years, whichever is shorter. The AUDis inclusive ofa30-daydepartureperiod.
  1. Maximum stay of four years In most cases, theI-94 Admit Until Date (AUD)willnot exceed four years, even if the program end date listed on the I-20 or DS-2019 is later.
  2. Formal Extension of Stay(EOS)application with USCIS Anyone needing additional timeextending beyond their I-94 Admit Until Date (AUD)to complete their program, or to utilize post-completion employment benefits(e.g.,OPT,STEMOPT, AcademicTraining) will have tofilea formal Extension of Stay(EOS)application with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which will incur additional feesfor the student or scholar,as required by USCIS.
  3. Reduced grace period for F-1 students the F-1 student grace periodwillbe reducedfrom 60 to 30 days You will need to depart at this time.The J-1 student grace periodremainsat30 days.
  4. Restrictions onprogram transfers
    1. 惚紳餃梗娶眶娶硃餃喝硃喧梗泭F-1andJ-1studentsmay not transfertoa different U.S. institution during their firstyear of study.
    2. 勞娶硃餃喝硃喧梗泭F-1 and J-1 students may not transfer to a different U.S. institution during their program of study.
    3. 斑-1泭釦釵堯棗梭硃娶莽泭–There are no restrictionsontransferring institutions.
  5. Important Restrictions onchangesto fieldof study/major泭
    1. 惚紳餃梗娶眶娶硃餃喝硃喧梗泭F-1and J-1 students may not change majors in their first year of study.
    2. 勞娶硃餃喝硃喧梗泭F-1 or J-1 students may not change programs/field of study at any point during their program of study.

The final rule was published in the Federal Register on Friday, July 17, 2026.The final rule goes into effect on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.Until then, current D/S policiesremainin effect.

What can you do now?

Familiarize yourself with your I-94泭You can access youron the official government website.Right now, the I94 for most F1 and J1 visa holdersshowsD/S (Duration of Status) in theAdmit Until Date field.浩ffective September 15, 2026, the D/S policy will be eliminated, and any F-1 and J-1 visa holders entering the U.S. after this date will show a fixed date in this field:

photo of I-94 form field instructions

Check your passportexpirationdateFederal regulationsrequireyour passport to remain valid at least 6 months into the future when in the U.S. If your passport expiresbeforetheAdmit Until Date onyourI-94, your authorized stayin the U.S.is effectively limited to thatexpirationdate, and you could fall out of status. Plan accordingly and renew if needed.