What is Trump's new F1 visa rule and how does it affect OPT, CPT, and university transfers?

What is actually changing — the end of Duration of Status

Until now, F1 students entered the U.S. under a system called Duration of Status, or D/S. This meant that even if your visa stamp was issued for five years, there was no hard end date on how long you could actually stay in the country — as long as you maintained your student status. Whether you were in your original program, transferred to another university, or moved to a higher degree, you could continue living in the U.S. legally. This flexibility is how many students managed the unpredictability of job hunting, H1B lottery outcomes, and general career transitions.

That system is now being replaced by a fixed admission period. When you enter the U.S. on an F1 visa after the new rule kicks in, your I-94 — the travel record updated each time you enter the country — will no longer say "D/S". Instead, it will show a fixed end date tied directly to the length of your program. The maximum cap is four years, regardless of how long your actual course takes.

When does this rule take effect?

The Department of Homeland Security published this rule on July 17, 2026. It comes into effect 60 days later — on September 16, 2026. If you enter the U.S. after that date, you fall under the new system. If you are already in the U.S. before that date, there are transitional protections in place, which I'll explain below.

How the fixed stay period is calculated for each program

Your permitted stay in the U.S. will be linked directly to the official length of your program:

• Master's degree: 2 years
• Bachelor's degree: 4 years
• PhD: 4 years (even if your doctorate takes longer, the initial grant is capped at 4 years)

If your program runs longer — say your PhD extends past four years — or if you want to continue in the U.S. for OPT or STEM OPT, or if you transition from a bachelor's to a master's or from a master's to a PhD, you will need to either file for an extension with USCIS before your time runs out, or exit the U.S., get a new visa stamp, and re-enter with a fresh fixed-duration I-94.

This means that staying in the U.S. beyond your program end date is going to involve additional documentation, additional paperwork, and additional filing costs — it will no longer happen automatically.

The grace period is also shrinking

Currently, when your program ends you have a 60-day grace period — time during which you can remain in the U.S. legally while you decide your next step. Under the new rule, this grace period drops to 30 days for students entering after September 16, 2026. That is half the time you have now to either file for an extension or make arrangements to leave.

What if you are already in the U.S. right now?

If you are currently in the U.S. on an F1 visa, the impact is not immediate. There is a transitional protection in place. Your status remains valid until the end date on your current I-20, or until your existing EAD (Employment Authorization Document) expires — whichever applies to your situation. You do not need to file for any extension right now. Your current duration of status continues to hold.

Also importantly, the 60-day grace period still applies to you — it is not being cut to 30 days as it is for new entrants.

However, if you need to remain in the U.S. beyond your current I-20 or EAD end date — because of a job, a program change, or a transition to a higher degree — you will need to file for an extension at that point.

There is one critical thing to understand: this transitional protection only applies while you are physically inside the U.S. If you travel abroad and then re-enter after September 16, 2026, you will come back in under the new fixed-duration system. Your I-94 on re-entry will show a fixed end date, not duration of status. At that point you are treated the same as any new entrant.

New restrictions on changing universities and programs