The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on 17 July 2026 that ends duration of status admission for academic students, exchange visitors and representatives of foreign information media. It took effect on 15 September 2026.
What duration of status was
Under the old system, an F or J nonimmigrant was admitted for 'duration of status', written as D/S. There was no fixed end date on the I-94. You could stay as long as you maintained your status and your program continued.
What replaces it
A fixed period of admission. Students are admitted for the length of the program shown on the Form I-20, capped at four years, plus 30 days to arrive and 30 days to depart at the end.
Anyone who needs longer than their authorised period must apply to USCIS for an extension of stay before it expires. That is a filing, with a fee and a processing time, where previously there was nothing to file.
The departure grace period is 30 days rather than 60.
Why this matters more than it sounds
Under D/S, staying past a program end date was a status problem that generally did not start the unlawful presence clock until an official found a violation. With a fixed expiry date on the I-94, overstaying that date is unambiguous, and unlawful presence consequences follow from it.
Missing an expiration date can therefore put someone out of status and trigger consequences that are hard to undo, including the three and ten year bars once they leave.
What to do now
Find your current I-94 and read the admit-until date. Do not rely on the I-20 end date or on what was true before.
Diarise the extension filing well before that date, allowing for USCIS processing times rather than assuming a quick turnaround. Programs that run long, change, or involve a thesis that slips are the ones that get caught.
If you are on OPT or STEM OPT, or you change programs or levels, check how the new period is calculated for your situation rather than assuming it carries over.
First Class Immigration is assisting students across the United States with maintaining lawful status under these rules. If your program runs past your admission date, start the extension conversation early.