DHS Final Rule on F-1 and J-1 Duration of Status (D/S)

If you are properly maintaining F-1 or J-1 status in the United States on September 15 and your current Form I-94 shows D/S, you will not automatically receive a new I-94 on September 15.

Under the transition provisions, you may generally continue under D/S through the applicable program end date on your Form I-20 or DS-2019 or for up to four years after the rule takes effect, whichever occurs first, provided that you continue maintaining status.

Current F-1 students covered by the transition provision generally retain the existing 60-day departure period. J-1 exchange visitors retain the existing 30-day departure period.

International travel changes this. If you leave the United States and return on or after September 15, you will generally enter under the new fixed-period framework.

International travel is not prohibited by the final rule. However, your immigration framework may change when you return.

A continuing F-1 or J-1 student or scholar who was previously admitted for D/S and later reenters the United States on or after September 15 will generally receive a specific Admit Until Date on the new Form I-94.

After every international entry, retrieve and review your new Form I-94. Your I-94, not the visa stamp in your passport, establishes the period for which you were admitted to the United States.

Review now whether you expect to complete your program by the current program end date.

If you may need additional time because of a legitimate academic or program reason, contact ISSO well before your current end date.

Under the new framework, extending the academic program end date may also require an Extension of Stay application with USCIS. An ISSO advisor can explain which steps apply to your situation as federal implementation procedures become available.

The final rule does not eliminate post-completion OPT or the STEM OPT Extension. It does, however, add Extension of Stay requirements for students admitted under the fixed-period system.

DHS created a temporary transition exception for certain F-1 students who remain in the United States under D/S and file a qualifying post-completion OPT or STEM OPT application on or before March 18, 2027.

To use that transition provision, the student must remain eligible and continue in the United States under D/S through the time the OPT or STEM OPT application is filed.

A student who departs the United States and then reenters under the new fixed-period framework may instead need to file both the employment authorization application and an Extension of Stay application. Students considering Fall 2026 or early Spring 2027 OPT should discuss international travel with ISSO before departure.

The final rule includes significant new restrictions on F-1 academic mobility.

• F-1 students below the graduate degree level generally may not transfer schools or change educational objectives during the first academic year unless SEVP authorizes an exception for qualifying extenuating circumstances.
• F-1 students at the graduate degree level or above generally may not change educational objectives during their program.
• Graduate-level F-1 students generally may not transfer to another school during the program unless SEVP authorizes an exception for qualifying extenuating circumstances.
• After completing a program, an F-1 student generally may begin another F-1 program only at a higher educational level, rather than at the same or a lower level.

J-1 students and scholars are also moving from D/S to fixed periods of admission.

J-1 exchange visitors admitted on or after September 15 will generally receive an Admit Until Date based on the DS-2019 program end date, subject to the four-year maximum admission period and the existing 30-day departure period.

A J-1 scholar whose authorized exchange program can legitimately extend beyond the period of admission may need both the appropriate program action through the J-1 sponsor and an Extension of Stay application through USCIS.

J-1 students and scholars should contact ISSO before a program extension, transfer, international trip that may affect immigration timing, or another significant program change.

No. As of September 1, 2026, the rule is scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026. Existing regulations remain in effect until then. A federal legal challenge is pending, but no court order has currently changed the effective date.

No. If you are already in the United States under D/S and qualify for the transition provisions, your existing I-94 does not automatically change on September 15. A later departure and reentry generally results in a new I-94 under the fixed-period system.

No. It means that a single fixed period of admission generally cannot exceed four years. A student who legitimately requires additional time may need to obtain the appropriate academic program extension and file an Extension of Stay application with USCIS.

Yes. The final rule does not prohibit international travel. However, returning to the United States on or after September 15 generally places the traveler into the fixed-period admission system. Travel can also affect certain transition provisions, including the temporary OPT Extension of Stay exception.

No. The D/S final rule does not eliminate OPT, STEM OPT, or CPT.

It does change the immigration-extension framework surrounding some practical-training situations. Separately, SEVP issued new CPT guidance in August 2026 that affects how Cal State LA evaluates new CPT requests. Students should review the current CPT information and consult ISSO.

ISSO will provide updates and targeted outreach as procedures become clearer. Students and scholars remain responsible for maintaining status, monitoring their immigration documents and deadlines, checking Cal State LA email, and contacting ISSO when their circumstances change.

Yes. The final rule itself notes that its effective date is subject to congressional review, and a federal lawsuit is also seeking to stop implementation.

Unless DHS, Congress, or a court changes the rule's status, Cal State LA must plan for the September 15 effective date.