Do I have to file something on 15 September 2026?

Students who are in the United States on that date, admitted for duration of status, do not have to file anything on that date. They may stay to the Program End Date on the I-20 or the end of a current post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, and no later than 14 November 2030. An extension of stay is filed only to go beyond that, to start a new programme, or to begin OPT.

I am on duration of status now. Does travelling change that?

Yes. A student who leaves and is readmitted on or after 15 September 2026 is admitted with a fixed period of admission based on their I-20, up to four years plus a 30-day departure period. Staying in the United States keeps the existing admission.

How long is the departure period after my programme or OPT ends?

For students admitted under the new rule, 30 days — down from 60, and already counted inside the Admit Until Date. For students in the transition group, DHS's description of the outer limit refers to a 60-day departure period; confirm your own position with your designated school official.

My PhD is longer than four years. What happens?

For a programme longer than four years the Admit Until Date is four years from the Program Start Date plus 30 days, whatever the degree takes. Time beyond it needs an extension of stay filed with USCIS, with the designated school official recommending it in SEVIS first.

Can I keep working while my extension of stay is pending?

If USCIS receives the Form I-539 before the Admit Until Date passes, on-campus employment, off-campus employment authorized for severe economic hardship and curricular practical training may continue for up to 240 days while it is pending. An application filed during the 30-day departure period does not carry that permission — work stops until it is approved.

I have already booked a flight home in December. Is that a problem?

The trip is permitted. What it changes is the terms of your return: re-entry on or after 15 September 2026 comes with a fixed period of admission rather than duration of status. Check the new I-94 after landing rather than assuming it carries over.

OfficialStudy in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · Last verified 17 Aug 2026

Duration of status is ending: your F-1 will have an expiry date

From 15 September 2026, F-1 students are admitted until a fixed date printed on the I-94 instead of for "duration of status". Which rules apply to you depends on when you were admitted — and students already in the United States keep most of what they have.

Does this affect you?

This rule works differently for two groups. Pick the one that describes you and we will highlight it — both stay on screen either way.

Admitted before 15 September 2026

How to check: Your most recent I-94 shows an admission for duration of status (D/S), and you have not left the United States since.

Departure period: 60 days
How long you may stay: To your Program End Date, or the end of OPT or STEM OPT valid on 15 September 2026 — and no later than 14 November 2030
Extension of stay: Not needed to reach that date
If you travel: You return under the other card

Admitted on or after 15 September 2026

How to check: You arrive, or return from a trip, on or after 15 September 2026 — your I-94 shows a specific Admit Until Date rather than D/S.

Departure period: 30 days
How long you may stay: To the Admit Until Date on your I-94 — your programme length, capped at four years, plus 30 days
Extension of stay: Needed on Form I-539 for any time beyond that date
If you travel: You may be readmitted with a fresh period

This is general information, not advice about your case. If your situation does not match either group cleanly, that is exactly what your designated school official is there to answer.

Does this affect you?

This rule creates two groups, and almost everything below depends on which one you are in. Group one: students admitted for duration of status who are in the United States on 15 September 2026. Group two: students admitted on or after that date — including anyone from group one who leaves the country and comes back. The two cards below state the rules for each group, the same four facts each time. If you are not sure which describes you, look up your most recent I-94 on the Customs and Border Protection website: an admission recorded as D/S puts you in group one for as long as you stay put.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

What changed

Until now an F-1 student was admitted for "duration of status", written on the I-94 as D/S: no end date, valid for as long as you kept studying and kept your record in order. On 17 July 2026 the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule replacing that with a fixed period of admission, effective 15 September 2026. Under it a student is admitted for the length of the programme on their Form I-20, capped at four years, plus 30 days to arrive and 30 days to depart. That end date is called the Admit Until Date and it is printed on the I-94.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

If you were admitted for duration of status and are in the US on 15 September 2026

How long you may stay: to the Program End Date on your I-20, or to the end of the post-completion OPT or STEM OPT valid on 15 September 2026 — and no later than 14 November 2030.
Departure period after you finish: 60 days. DHS states this inside its description of the transition, where the 14 November 2030 limit is given as four years plus a 60-day departure period.
Extension of stay: not needed to reach the date above. Needed on Form I-539 to go beyond it, to begin a new programme, or to start OPT.
If you leave the United States: you come back under the other card. Re-entry on or after 15 September 2026 gives you a new fixed period of admission.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

If you are admitted on or after 15 September 2026

How long you may stay: to the Admit Until Date on your I-94 — the programme length on your I-20, capped at four years, plus 30 days.
Departure period after you finish: 30 days, down from 60, and already counted inside your Admit Until Date.
Extension of stay: needed on Form I-539, with the fee and biometrics, for any time beyond your Admit Until Date. File from 180 days before it expires; USCIS must receive it before it passes.
If you leave the United States: you may be readmitted with a fresh period of admission based on your current I-20 and SEVIS record.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

What has not changed

Nobody is required to file anything on 15 September 2026, and nobody is required to leave on that date. Students already in the United States keep the admission they have. The rule does not shorten anyone's programme, does not cancel an approved OPT or STEM OPT, and does not change how much OPT or STEM OPT is available. It does not change the H-1B cap-gap: a student who is the beneficiary of a timely filed cap-subject H-1B petition and qualifies for cap-gap needs no extension of stay, and may remain in F-1 status until the petition is approved or until 1 April of the fiscal year it is for, whichever comes first. Students who timely file for post-completion OPT or STEM OPT by 18 March 2027 do not need a separate extension of stay either.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

If you already acted on the old rule

Two situations come up often. If you booked travel that takes you out of the United States after 15 September 2026, that trip moves you to the second card on your return — the trip is still permitted, but the terms of your admission change, so check your new I-94 after you land rather than assuming it matches the old one. If you planned a gap after finishing on the old 60-day departure period and you will be admitted under the new rule, that plan is now built on 30 days. Neither situation is a status violation by itself. What creates the problem is finding out afterwards, so the useful step is to look up your current I-94 today and work forward from the date printed on it.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

Where this stands, and what is still unclear

This is a published final rule with an effective date of 15 September 2026, and it is not blocked by a court as at the date this page was last verified. Two things are genuinely unsettled and are not guessed at here. First, the 60-day departure period for the transition group appears in DHS's quick facts inside a parenthetical explaining the 14 November 2030 limit, rather than as a rule stated on its own — confirm it with your designated school official before planning around it. Second, DHS gives 18 March 2027 as the deadline for timely filing OPT or STEM OPT without a separate extension of stay, while the same agency's FAQ describes that deadline as six months after the effective date, which would be 15 March. Treat the earlier date as the safe one, and aim for neither.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

What to do now

Look up your most recent I-94 on the Customs and Border Protection website and write down the class of admission and the admit-until date. Every deadline below comes from that one record.
Decide which of the two cards above describes you, and check again after any international trip.
If you will need post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, ask your designated school official now what your filing window is, rather than in your final term.
If your programme runs past your Admit Until Date, ask your DSO about a programme extension and an extension of stay together — they are two different things and you will usually need both.
If you file Form I-539, make sure USCIS receives it before your Admit Until Date passes. Filing before that date lets you continue on-campus employment, off-campus employment authorized for severe economic hardship, and curricular practical training for up to 240 days while it is pending.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

Where people will get caught

Travelling is the big one: a trip home over the winter break moves a student from the first card to the second on re-entry, quietly, without anyone announcing it. Filing an extension of stay during the 30-day departure period rather than before it is the second — file before your Admit Until Date and you may keep working while it is pending; file inside the departure period and you must stop, and may only resume if it is approved. Travelling while an extension is pending is the third: if Customs and Border Protection admits you for longer than your previous period, USCIS may treat the pending application as abandoned. And reading the Program End Date on the I-20 as your deadline is the fourth — the date that governs how long you may stay is the Admit Until Date on the I-94, and for a programme longer than four years the two are not the same.

Source: Study in the States — Final Rule: Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure, Quick Facts · in effect from 2026-07-17

Official

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to file something on 15 September 2026?: Students who are in the United States on that date, admitted for duration of status, do not have to file anything on that date. They may stay to the Program End Date on the I-20 or the end of a current post-completion OPT or STEM OPT, and no later than 14 November 2030. An extension of stay is filed only to go beyond that, to start a new programme, or to begin OPT.
I am on duration of status now. Does travelling change that?: Yes. A student who leaves and is readmitted on or after 15 September 2026 is admitted with a fixed period of admission based on their I-20, up to four years plus a 30-day departure period. Staying in the United States keeps the existing admission.
How long is the departure period after my programme or OPT ends?: For students admitted under the new rule, 30 days — down from 60, and already counted inside the Admit Until Date. For students in the transition group, DHS's description of the outer limit refers to a 60-day departure period; confirm your own position with your designated school official.
My PhD is longer than four years. What happens?: For a programme longer than four years the Admit Until Date is four years from the Program Start Date plus 30 days, whatever the degree takes. Time beyond it needs an extension of stay filed with USCIS, with the designated school official recommending it in SEVIS first.
Can I keep working while my extension of stay is pending?: If USCIS receives the Form I-539 before the Admit Until Date passes, on-campus employment, off-campus employment authorized for severe economic hardship and curricular practical training may continue for up to 240 days while it is pending. An application filed during the 30-day departure period does not carry that permission — work stops until it is approved.
I have already booked a flight home in December. Is that a problem?: The trip is permitted. What it changes is the terms of your return: re-entry on or after 15 September 2026 comes with a fixed period of admission rather than duration of status. Check the new I-94 after landing rather than assuming it carries over.