The Trump administration has finalised a rule replacing the longstanding “duration of status” policy with a strict four-year limit on stays for foreign students on F-1 visas and exchange visitors on J-1 visas, requiring anyone needing more time to file formal extension requests with the federal government — a move critics warn will create significant uncertainty for international students, according to The Washington Post.
‘MISGUIDED AND UNNECESSARY’: EDUCATORS BLAST TRUMP’S NEW FOUR-YEAR CAP ON FOREIGN STUDENT STAYS
America just fundamentally changed the rules for every international student on its soil — and the consequences could be enormous.
The Trump administration on Thursday finalised a new Department of Homeland Security rule scrapping the decades-old “duration of status” policy, which since the early 1990s had allowed foreign students to remain in the United States for as long as their academic programmes lasted, provided they complied with visa requirements, The Washington Post reports.
Under the new rule, students on F-1 visas and exchange visitors on J-1 visas will be limited to a maximum four-year stay. Anyone needing more time — including doctoral candidates, medical residents and students in longer programmes — must file a formal extension request with US Citizenship and Immigration Services, submit biometrics and pay a fee. Crucially, students who allow their fixed term to expire will immediately begin accruing unlawful presence, exposing them to three- and ten-year bans from re-entering the United States.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the overhaul in stark terms: “For nearly half a century, the outdated ‘duration of status’ system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud.” He added that the new rule ensures “foreign students remain focused on their primary purpose: completing their studies and returning home.”
The rule drew immediate and fierce criticism from the education sector. NAFSA Executive Director Fanta Aw described it as “a misguided and unnecessary policy shift that injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively.” DHS itself acknowledged that many bachelor’s degrees take more than four years to complete, while doctoral programmes routinely run far longer.
Students already in the US when the rule takes effect on September 15 will be assigned a fixed end date based on their current programme plus a grace period, rather than facing immediate departure. Congress retains the power to delay or overturn the rule under the major regulations review process.
The new restriction arrives as US universities continue to struggle to attract international students amid a broader tightening of immigration policy under the Trump administration.
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