Major Changes to F-1 Student Status: DHS Replaces ‘Duration of Status’ With Fixed Admission Periods

If you’re an international student, exchange visitor, or foreign media professional in the United States, a major change to how you’re admitted is coming this fall. On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule that eliminates “Duration of Status” (D/S) for F (academic student), J (exchange visitor), and I...