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On July 16, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a publication of a new policy stating that the “duration of status,” which has allowed foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives to remain in the United States for an unspecified period of time without specific regulation from the authority, will be officially eliminated. 

 The policy introduces “fixed admission caps,” stating that “Nonimmigrant students (F visas) and exchange visitors (J visas) will be admitted for the length of their specific program, not to exceed a maximum period of four years.”

 According to DHS,  the new policy will “shift restores integrity to the nation’s immigration system, combats rampant visa abuse, and strengthens national security through regular vetting”

The rule marks a change from the previous policy that has been implemented since 1978, which has been allowing the foreign students, who are in the process of obtaining their degrees or academic lectures, to stay in the United States. 

Under the new rule, visa holders who need to extend their stay to complete their academic program must apply for Extension of Stay (EOS) to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. 

“For nearly half a century, the outdated 'duration of status' system has compromised national security and created an environment ripe for immigration fraud,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. 

Markwayne Mullin also stated, “For decades, foreign students have been admitted into the U.S. indefinitely, allowing thousands to abuse our immigration system by perpetually enrolling in courses to avoid having to leave the U.S.” 

The U.S. authority is expected to reduce the number of the students who intentionally spend longer periods of time to avoid departing the United States and to strengthen national security. 

The new visa policy would “especially hit universities that enroll high numbers of international students in doctoral, medical and other intensive graduate degree programs, which are typically not designed to be completed in four years,” San Francisco Chronicle expects. 

Due to the new policy from the Trump administration, the U.S. universities are expected to experience a big drop in international students enrollment in graduate programs followed by the last year, which has already gone through decline compared to the year before. 

Despite the announcement of the main objective of the new policy, critical views have also been raised. 

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a non-profit organization that advises schools on the issues of international student enrollment, criticized the U.S. authority’s new rule, describing it as “misguided and unnecessary.”

The chief executive of NAFSA, Fanta Aw, mentioned that the new policy “injects uncertainty, bureaucracy, and fear into a system that has long worked effectively.”

Jonathan Grobe, the Practice Director of Green & Spiegel ,“Ultimately, it is going to be a huge burden and unnecessary administrative strain,”  in the interview. 

President of and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Mirian Feldblum said, “This rule is unnecessary and duplicative. International students are already among the most closely monitored nonimmigrant populations in the U.S. and are subject to rigorous oversight by DHS and academic institutions,” referring to nonimmigrants as temporary visa holders. 

The repercussions of the new policy are expected to be substantial as new visa regulations are to affect not only education but also general economic innovation of the States.