Reuters · China · Nation Thailand
US scraps open-ended student stays, imposes four-year visa limit from September
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◌ Single Source
The United States has moved to end open-ended stays for foreign students and exchange visitors, introducing fixed visa periods of up to four years under a new immigration rule scheduled to take effect on September 15, 2026.
Key facts
- The new rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, replaces the long-standing “duration of status”
- Several university advisory offices said current rules will remain in place until September 14, with the new framework beginning the following day.
- Another key change is the reduction of the post-completion grace period for students, from 60 days to 30 days, giving graduates less time to prepare to leave the country, seek a change of status or apply for an extension.
- Reuters reported that media personnel will be admitted for up to 240 days, while Chinese nationals in that category will be limited to 90 days.
Summary
The new rule, announced by the Department of Homeland Security, replaces the long-standing “duration of status” system, which allowed international students and exchange visitors to remain in the US as long as they continued to comply with the terms of their academic or exchange programmes.
Under the new policy, holders of F visas for international students and J visas for exchange visitors will be admitted for a fixed period tied to the length of their programme, but capped at four years. Those who need to stay longer must apply for an extension with US Citizenship and Immigration Services or leave and seek re-entry.