DHS published a rule on July 17, 2026 replacing the open-ended 'Duration of Status' admission for F-1 student, J-1 exchange, and I-visa journalist holders with a fixed four-year end date and a shortened 30-day departure window. The rule would also have restricted students' ability to switch schools or programs and required many to file for discretionary extensions of stay with no internal appeal if denied. A coalition of higher education groups and unions sued to block the rule, and on September 14, 2026, Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts postponed its effective date nationwide under the Administrative Procedure Act, leaving duration of status in place for now while the case proceeds.