Dear international students and scholars,
On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a final rule that eliminates the current “duration of status” (D/S) policy for F and J nonimmigrants. The rule’s effective date is September 15, 2026 (60 days from July 17th); it is not effective immediately. We understand this is a significant transition for many of you and your families, and you may have questions. Fortunately, we have some time to provide guidance and assist you in planning.
Our office is now reviewing the final rule and related agency materials. We will share a detailed summary, initial guidance, and key next steps within the next few days. Thank you for your patience as we complete a careful analysis to provide accurate guidance.
In the meantime, please note that we are currently receiving a very high volume of inquiries. We will respond to individual inquiries as quickly as possible when we have answers and will issue formal guidance as the provisions of the new rules become clear.
To help us respond efficiently, we encourage you to submit general questions using this form. We will review submissions, group common themes, and address as many of these questions as possible during the town hall webinar (see below) and in our FAQs.
What to expect from OISS next:
- OISS guidance and FAQs: We will publish a dedicated webpage on the OISS website with a summary of the final rule, next steps, and FAQs. We will send a follow-up email to all of you as soon as this page is published.
- Extension of stay information: We will also post detailed, step-by-step guidance on applying for an extension of stay (as applicable) on our website.
- Tracking Entry to the U.S.: We have developed requests in OISS Connect for students and in MyOISS for scholars to submit information and documents after every U.S. entry. This will enable us to assist you in tracking your fixed-duration admissions. These requests are not live yet, but we will make them available prior to the effective date of the new rule and communicate with you about what you need to do.
- Town Hall Webinar: After our guidance is posted, we will host a community town hall webinar to review what we know, what it may mean for F and J students and scholars, and how OISS can support you.
- Date/Time: Thursday, July 23rd from 12 to 1 pm (EDT)
- Please register for the OISS town hall here.
We recognize the uncertainty this announcement may cause. Please know that we are committed to supporting our F and J community and will provide updates as soon as we can.
