I-94 Admit Until Date vs D/S: What Your Record Should Say in November 2026
D/S or a calendar date? What each status should show on the I-94 in November 2026, and what to do if CBP entered the wrong one.
Part of our guide to the Duration of Status rule.
Your I-94's admit until date is the date your authorized stay in the United States ends. As of November 1, 2026, an F-1 or J-1 student's record should still read "D/S" (duration of status), not a calendar date, because the rule that would replace D/S with a fixed date has been blocked by a federal court since 2026-09-14. Workers (H-1B, L-1, TN, E-3) get a calendar date tied to the petition or admission period, H-4 and L-2 dependents follow the principal, and B-2 and Visa Waiver (WT) visitors get a date set at entry.
Status line, as of 2026-11-01: the D/S final rule (91 FR 44976) is blocked (postponed under 5 U.S.C. 705 and preliminarily enjoined by the D. Mass. order of 2026-09-14). Summary-judgment replies are due 2026-11-02, and DHS's First Circuit opening brief (No. 26-2112) is due 2026-11-09; check the docket after those dates. Both 60-day grace periods, for F-1 students and for workers, are in effect. Ending the worker one is only proposed (RIN 1615-AD22), with comments closing 2026-11-10.
What the I-94 admit until date means
The admit until date on Form I-94 is the last day of your authorized stay in the United States, set by CBP when you enter or by USCIS when it approves a change or extension of status. It is not your visa expiration date. For F-1 and J-1 students it reads D/S, meaning your stay lasts as long as you maintain status.
CBP's I-94 fact sheet (a 2015 publication still posted on CBP's site) says: "For students and other exchange visitors, this date is 'D/S' or Duration of Status. For other visa classifications, this will be a hard end date." Your own record is on the CBP I-94 website.
The three dates on an I-94, and the one that is not about you
The electronic I-94 printout carries three dates:
- The date in the top right corner is the Office of Management and Budget form expiration date. CBP's fact sheet says this date "is NOT the expiration of a traveler's status." Ignore it.
- Most recent date of entry is the day CBP admitted you on your latest trip.
- Admit until date is the field that matters: D/S for students and exchange visitors, a calendar date for almost everyone else.
What does D/S mean on my I-94?
D/S stands for duration of status. Instead of a calendar date, you are admitted for as long as you keep your F-1 or J-1 status. For F-1 students, that covers your full course of study, any authorized OPT or STEM OPT, and then a 60-day period to depart, transfer or change status.
Because there is no printed end date, other documents tell you when D/S runs out:
- Your Form I-20. The program end date your DSO enters in SEVIS is the date that matters, not the graduation ceremony. Our explainer on the I-20 program end date vs your graduation date shows how that date also sets your OPT filing window.
- Your OPT or STEM OPT EAD. Approval of OPT does not change your I-94. It still reads D/S; the EAD dates govern when you may work.
- Your SEVIS record. D/S assumes you are maintaining status, which your school reports in SEVIS. If your record is terminated or your status is in question, the I-94 alone does not answer it; talk to your DSO and, for status strategy, an immigration attorney.
Under D/S you extend your stay through your school with an updated I-20, not with a Form I-539 to USCIS. F-2 and J-2 dependents are admitted D/S too.
Do F-1 students get a fixed admit-until date after September 15, 2026?
No. The fixed-date rule was scheduled to start on 2026-09-15, but a federal judge postponed it and barred DHS from implementing it the day before. Students entering since then should still be admitted D/S.
USCIS's Form I-539 page (updated 10/07/2026) says DHS "is preliminarily enjoined from taking any further action to implement the final rule," and "USCIS will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions." It is also "not accepting the 09/15/26 edition of Forms I-539 and I-765," the editions dated to the rule's planned start. The blocked rule would replace D/S with a fixed admission period capped at four years and would shorten the F-1 grace period to 30 days. None of that is in effect.
Common misconception: "Students who enter on or after September 15, 2026 get a fixed admit-until date on their I-94."
Correction, as of 2026-11-01: that describes the blocked rule. Some university international-office pages still give this timeline, and SEVP's Broadcast Message 2607-02 still says the rule "will take effect ... Sept. 15, 2026." Official pages lag too: FederalRegister.gov's metadata lists a 2026-09-15 effective date, the eCFR shows the fixed-period text of 8 CFR 214.2(f), and ICE's SEVIS What's New page has not addressed the order. None of these proves the rule is live. The court order and the USCIS statement control.
What could change this: the district court can rule on summary judgment any time after the 2026-11-02 replies, and DHS has asked that any relief be "a remand to the agency without vacatur" or limited to the plaintiffs. Until a court lifts the order, D/S applies. Our D/S rule appeal tracker follows each filing, our duration of status vs a fixed admission date explainer covers how the blocked rule would work, and the primary sources are the district court docket and the First Circuit docket.
What your I-94 should say, by status (as of 2026-11)
What the admit until field normally reads and what sets it, as of 2026-11-01. Your own record governs over this summary.
| Status | Class shown | Admit until should read | What sets it | Grace period after it (as of 2026-11-01) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F-1 student (including OPT and STEM OPT) | F1 | D/S | Your I-20 program, plus authorized practical training | 60 days after the program or OPT ends (in effect) |
| F-2 / J-2 dependent | F2 / J2 | D/S | Follows the student or exchange visitor | Follows the principal |
| J-1 exchange visitor | J1 | D/S | Your DS-2019 program | Set by J-1 rules (see our J-1 grace period guide); confirm with your Responsible Officer |
| H-1B worker | H1B | Calendar date | Petition validity end date, often plus up to 10 days (8 CFR 214.1(l)(1)); may be cut short by passport expiry | Up to 60 days after a job ends, never past the I-94 date (in effect; elimination proposed) |
| L-1 worker | L1 | Calendar date | Petition validity end date, often plus up to 10 days | Same as H-1B |
| H-4 / L-2 dependent | H4 / L2 (spouses L2S) | Calendar date | Generally follows the principal's I-94 | Tied to the principal's period |
| TN professional | TN | Calendar date | Admission of up to 3 years (8 CFR 214.6), plus up to 10 days | Same as H-1B |
| E-3 (Australia) | E3 | Calendar date | Stays of up to 2 years, plus up to 10 days | Same as H-1B |
| B-2 visitor | B2 | Calendar date | Chosen by CBP at entry | None under 8 CFR 214.1(l) |
| Visa Waiver traveler | WT | Calendar date | Stays of 90 days or less | None under 8 CFR 214.1(l) |
The 10-day and 60-day rules are in 8 CFR 214.1(l); the E-3 limit is on the USCIS E-3 page and the 90-day limit on the State Department's Visa Waiver Program page.
My I-94 shows a date instead of D/S. Is that an error?
If you were admitted as an F-1 or J-1 student without a Form I-515A, question a calendar date now, because D/S still applies while the rule is blocked. Three situations cover most cases.
- You received a Form I-515A. If you arrived missing a document, CBP can admit you temporarily. Study in the States says the Form I-515A "allows you to have temporary admission into the United States for 30 days"; you send your paperwork to SEVP "within 30 days of your entry date," and once SEVP accepts it you are granted "duration of status." A short date here is expected.
- The class is wrong too. If the I-94 shows B2 or WT instead of F1 or J1, you may have been admitted in the wrong status. That needs your DSO and CBP immediately.
- Everything else looks right. An F1 class with a calendar date, after a normal entry with a valid I-20, is most likely a recording error.
Do not wait for your next trip. If a wrong date passes, your record can look like an overstay even though D/S applies to you.
How to fix an F-1 I-94 that shows a date
- Download your most recent record from the CBP I-94 website and save the PDF with the date you pulled it.
- Compare the class of admission and admit until date with your passport, your visa and your Form I-20 (or DS-2019 for J-1).
- Email your DSO (J-1: your Responsible Officer) with the printout, and ask them to confirm your SEVIS record is in good standing and to note the discrepancy in your file.
- Contact a CBP Deferred Inspection office or the port of entry where you arrived, bring your passport, visa, I-20 and the printout, and ask for the record to be corrected to D/S.
- Route an I-94 that USCIS issued (the one printed at the bottom of an I-797A approval notice) to USCIS rather than CBP, with your DSO's or an attorney's help; our Form I-102 guide explains that route.
- Re-download the I-94 after the fix and keep both versions with your immigration records.
Our step-by-step guide to fixing I-94 errors covers the Deferred Inspection, CBP mail and USCIS routes and what each office asks for.
What is the admit-until date for H-1B and H-4?
An H-1B I-94 shows a calendar date tied to the end of the petition validity period. Under 8 CFR 214.1(l)(1), H-1B, L-1, TN and E workers may be admitted for the validity period "plus an additional period of up to 10 days before the validity period begins and 10 days after the validity period ends." An H-4 spouse or child generally gets the principal's end date. Three things can change it:
- Your passport. CBP may issue an I-94 that ends earlier than the petition when your passport expires first, and that earlier date is the real end of your stay. Our guide on an I-94 shorter than your I-797 covers the fixes.
- Who issued it. An I-797A carries a USCIS-issued I-94 that usually matches the petition end date. Each new entry creates a CBP record that replaces it; the newest record controls.
- Your principal's status. H-4 and L-2 status depends on the principal's, whatever date the dependent's I-94 shows. The USCIS Policy Manual limits an H-4 EAD to the "end date of H-4 status, not to exceed principal's H-1B status." L-2 spouses work incident to status, and USCIS's L-1A page says an unexpired I-94 showing the L-2S code "is acceptable as evidence of employment authorization."
Worked example: one winter trip, two new I-94s
Say your H-1B petition is valid from 2026-10-01 to 2029-09-30. Your passport expires on 2028-03-15. You and your H-4 spouse return to the US on 2027-01-04 after the winter break.
| Moment | Your I-94 (H-1B) | Spouse's I-94 (H-4) | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the trip | Usually 2029-09-30 (from the I-797A) | Matches yours | The USCIS record governs while you stay put |
| For comparison: re-entry with a passport valid past 2029-10-10 | Up to 2029-10-10 (petition end plus up to 10 days) | Generally matches yours | The new CBP record replaces the I-797A one |
| Re-entry on 2027-01-04 with the passport expiring 2028-03-15 | May be set to 2028-03-15 | May also be capped by the spouse's own passport | Your stay now ends on 2028-03-15 unless something changes |
| Job ends on 2028-02-01 (hypothetical) | Grace period runs only to 2028-03-15 | Follows yours | 43 days, not 60 (our arithmetic) |
The last row is the trap. The grace period lasts "for up to 60 days or until the end of the authorized validity period, whichever is shorter," in the words of DHS's own proposal to eliminate it. The example shows how the record is set, not whether to travel: visa stamping, entry rules and how to restore the full stay are questions for your employer's immigration attorney, well before the I-94 date. On F-1 instead? Your new I-94 after a winter trip should still read D/S. Cornell, Johns Hopkins and USC advise against international travel while an initial OPT application is pending, so talk to your DSO first.
Does the admit-until date include a grace period?
Partly. For workers, the printed date may already include up to 10 days after the petition ends, but the 60-day grace period after a job ends is never printed. For F-1 students, the 60-day period after the program or OPT ends comes from the D/S rules. Visitors (B-2, WT) get no grace period under 8 CFR 214.1(l), so their printed date is the date to plan around.
- F-1 (in effect): 60 days after your program end date or the end of authorized OPT or STEM OPT. If your STEM OPT ends 2027-06-30, day 60 falls on 2027-08-29. It is not 30 days; that number belongs to the blocked rule. Whether you get the full period depends on how your program or OPT ended, so confirm it with your DSO.
- H-1B, H-1B1, L-1, O-1, TN, E-1, E-2, E-3 and dependents (in effect): up to 60 days after a job ends under 8 CFR 214.1(l)(2), once per validity period and never past your I-94 date. No 30-day or 180-day H-1B grace period exists or is proposed.
- The proposal (proposed only): DHS's NPRM (RIN 1615-AD22, 91 FR 57807, published 2026-09-11) would remove the 60-day period for those worker classes and their dependents, leaving only the 10-day window that runs from the petition's end date, not from a layoff. It had about 27,000 comments as of 2026-11-01, and comments close 2026-11-10. Closing comments does not make it a rule; only a final rule published in the Federal Register would. It does not cover F-1 or OPT. See our breakdown of the DHS proposal to end the 60-day grace period.
Common mistakes
- Reading the top-right OMB date as your status expiry. CBP says it is not. Read the admit until field.
- Treating FederalRegister.gov, the eCFR or an old school page as proof that D/S ended. They lag the 2026-09-14 court order; USCIS says the previous rules apply.
- Ignoring a calendar date on an F-1 or J-1 record. Unless it came with a Form I-515A, raise it with your DSO and CBP now.
- Reading the I-797 dates as your stay. The petition covers employment; the newest I-94 says how long you may remain.
- Adding the 60-day grace period on top of the I-94 date. For workers it never runs past the admit until date.
- Checking the I-94 once. Every entry creates a new record. Pull it within a few days of each arrival.
Frequently asked questions
What does D/S mean on my I-94?
D/S stands for duration of status. It means you were admitted for as long as you maintain your F-1 or J-1 status, not until a calendar date. For F-1 students that covers your full course of study, any authorized OPT or STEM OPT, and a 60-day period afterward. As of November 1, 2026, D/S still applies because a federal court blocked the fixed-date rule on September 14, 2026.
Do F-1 students get a fixed admit-until date after September 15, 2026?
No, not while the court order stands. The DHS final rule (91 FR 44976) that would replace D/S with a fixed date has been postponed and enjoined nationwide since September 14, 2026, and USCIS says it "will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions." As of November 1, 2026, summary-judgment replies are due November 2 and DHS's First Circuit opening brief is due November 9, so check the docket for any change after those dates.
My I-94 shows a date instead of D/S. Is that an error?
Usually, if you were admitted as an F-1 or J-1 student, because D/S still applies while the fixed-date rule is blocked (as of November 1, 2026). The main exception is a Form I-515A, which is a temporary 30-day admission by design. Download the record from the CBP I-94 website, tell your DSO, and ask CBP to correct it at a Deferred Inspection office or the port where you arrived.
What is the admit-until date for H-1B and H-4?
An H-1B I-94 shows a calendar date tied to the end of the petition validity period, and 8 CFR 214.1(l)(1) allows up to 10 extra days after it. CBP may set an earlier date, commonly when your passport expires first. An H-4 I-94 generally follows the H-1B principal's end date, because H-4 status depends on the principal's status.
Does the admit-until date include a grace period?
Partly. For H-1B, L-1, TN and E workers, the printed date may already include up to 10 days after the petition ends, but the separate 60-day grace period after a job ends is not printed and never runs past the I-94 date. F-1 students have no printed date; their 60-day period after the program or OPT ends comes from the D/S rules. As of November 1, 2026 both 60-day periods apply, and ending the worker one (RIN 1615-AD22) is only proposed, with comments closing November 10, 2026.
Who to ask
Bring F-1, OPT, STEM OPT and SEVIS questions, including a wrong F-1 I-94, to your DSO. Bring H-1B, H-4, L-1 and other petition or status-strategy questions, such as a passport-shortened I-94 or a layoff close to your I-94 date, to a licensed immigration attorney, usually your employer's. CBP corrects records that CBP issued; USCIS handles records printed on its own notices.
Sources
- USCIS, Form I-539 page (court-order statement and accepted editions, updated 10/07/2026)
- CBP, I-94 Expiration Dates fact sheet and the I-94 website
- CourtListener, Presidents' Alliance district court docket (D. Mass. 1:26-cv-13799) and First Circuit docket No. 26-2112
- Federal Register, proposal to eliminate the discretionary 60-day grace period (RIN 1615-AD22; full text on govinfo)
- Study in the States, Form I-515A overview
- ICE, SEVIS What's New (cited only as a page that has not caught up with the court order)
- USCIS, Policy Manual, Volume 10, Part A, Chapter 4 (current as of 2026-10-27), the L-1A page (L-2S) and the E-3 page
- U.S. Department of State, Visa Waiver Program
How we checked this: on 2026-11-01 we read the USCIS I-539, L-1A and E-3 pages, the Policy Manual EAD chapter, CBP's I-94 fact sheet, the grace-period NPRM text, the Study in the States I-515A page, ICE's SEVIS What's New page and the 8 CFR 214.1(l) text; court dates come from the D. Mass. and First Circuit dockets as recorded in our research that day.
This is general information, not legal or tax advice; your own I-94, I-20 or approval notice, and your DSO or immigration attorney, govern your situation.
If your I-94 is in order and you are on OPT or STEM OPT working toward a sponsored role, F1Jobs can help you aim your search at employers that sponsor H-1B.
Frequently asked questions
What does D/S mean on my I-94?
D/S stands for duration of status. It means you were admitted for as long as you maintain your F-1 or J-1 status, not until a calendar date. For F-1 students that covers your full course of study, any authorized OPT or STEM OPT, and a 60-day period afterward. As of November 1, 2026, D/S still applies because a federal court blocked the fixed-date rule on September 14, 2026.
Do F-1 students get a fixed admit-until date after September 15, 2026?
No, not while the court order stands. The DHS final rule (91 FR 44976) that would replace D/S with a fixed date has been postponed and enjoined nationwide since September 14, 2026, and USCIS says it will proceed under the previous regulatory provisions. As of November 1, 2026, summary-judgment replies are due November 2 and DHS's First Circuit opening brief is due November 9, so check the docket for any change after those dates.
My I-94 shows a date instead of D/S. Is that an error?
Usually, if you were admitted as an F-1 or J-1 student, because D/S still applies while the fixed-date rule is blocked (as of November 1, 2026). The main exception is a Form I-515A, which is a temporary 30-day admission by design. Download the record from the CBP I-94 website, tell your DSO, and ask CBP to correct it at a Deferred Inspection office or the port where you arrived.
What is the admit-until date for H-1B and H-4?
An H-1B I-94 shows a calendar date tied to the end of the petition validity period, and 8 CFR 214.1(l)(1) allows up to 10 extra days after it. CBP may set an earlier date, commonly when your passport expires first. An H-4 I-94 generally follows the H-1B principal's end date, because H-4 status depends on the principal's status.
Does the admit-until date include a grace period?
Partly. For H-1B, L-1, TN and E workers, the printed date may already include up to 10 days after the petition ends, but the separate 60-day grace period after a job ends is not printed and never runs past the I-94 date. F-1 students have no printed date; their 60-day period after the program or OPT ends comes from the D/S rules. As of November 1, 2026 both 60-day periods apply, and ending the worker one (RIN 1615-AD22) is only proposed, with comments closing November 10, 2026.