F-1 Visa Rule Changes 2025: The Proposed End of Duration of Status
This page explains the Department of Homeland Security proposal, published in the Federal Register in August 2025, to end Duration of Status admission for F-1 students and replace it with a fixed admission period. It sets each proposed change against the rule in force today, tracks where the proposal sits in the rulemaking process, breaks down how different categories of students would be affected, and covers what F-1 holders can do while the outcome remains undecided. Nothing described here is final rule text.
What the Proposed Rule Would Change
The proposal would replace Duration of Status with admission for a fixed period capped at four years, and cut the post-completion grace period from 60 days to 30. It would also restrict changes of program, major, or educational level, cap English language study at two years, and require students needing more time to file Form I-539 with USCIS, including filing fees and biometrics.
Where the Proposal Stands in Rulemaking
DHS published the proposed rule in the Federal Register on August 28, 2025, opening a 30-day comment window on the rule itself and a 60-day window on the related SEVIS and USCIS forms. The page maps the remaining steps — comment review, a final rule, then a transition period — and stresses that current F-1 rules stay in force until a final rule takes effect. A comparable 2020 proposal drew overwhelming opposition in comments and was withdrawn.
How Different Students Would Be Affected
Impact is broken down by category. PhD candidates face the sharpest exposure, since doctoral programs commonly run past four years and would require repeated extensions. Master's and undergraduate students would lose the ability to switch programs or add a second degree at the same level, and students in English language programs would face a two-year ceiling.
Planning Steps and Alternative Pathways
An interactive calculator estimates the admission end date and grace-period deadline a program would carry under the proposed four-year cap. The page also lists preparation steps — keeping I-20, transcript and SEVIS records, consulting a DSO, filing a public comment on Regulations.gov — and points to its O-1, EB-2 NIW, and Day 1 CPT guides as pathways worth researching early.