F-1 Students On Holidays Must Return To US By Sept 15 To Retain 'Duration Of Status' Benefit

Published 21 July 2026 · india

F-1 Students On Holidays Must Return To US By Sept 15 To Retain 'Duration Of Status' Benefit Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 09:36

F-1 Students On Holidays Must Return To US By Sept 15 To Retain 'Duration Of Status' Benefit Published By, Last Updated: July 21, 2026, 09:36 IST Students currently outside the US should return before September 15 to retain key F-1 visa protections under the existing Duration of Status system. Students currently outside the US are being advised to return before September 15 to retain key F-1 visa transition benefits under new DHS immigration rules (AI-generated image/News18) Students currently outside the United States on vacation, including those visiting India during the academic break, should plan to return before September 15 if they wish to retain an important immigration benefit under the existing F-1 visa system, according to a Times of India report. The urgency stems from a final rule issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which will take effect on September 15. The rule replaces the long-standing ‘Duration of Status’ (D/S) framework, under which F-1 students could remain in the US as long as they continued their studies, with a new system that grants admission for a fixed period, generally capped at four years. According to the report, immigration lawyers have advised students who are currently outside the US to return before the rule comes into force, as the transition protections are available only to those who are physically present in the country on the effective date. WHY SEPTEMBER 15 MATTERS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN US Until now, international students on F-1 visas were admitted under the D/S system, allowing them to stay in the US throughout their academic programme, provided they maintained valid student status.

From September 15 onwards, however, students entering the US will generally receive a fixed “admit-until" date on their I-94 arrival record instead of open-ended permission to stay. Once that period expires, they will have to seek an extension if eligible. The report said DHS has issued a fact sheet and a set of FAQs explaining how the transition will work for students already studying in the US. WHO WILL CONTINUE UNDER THE OLD SYSTEM? Students who are already inside the United States and maintaining valid F-1 status on September 15 will continue under the existing D/S framework until the programme completion date mentioned on their Form I-20 or until the end of approved Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT. However, this protection is not indefinite. The report said it is subject to an overall limit of four years from September 15, meaning it cannot extend beyond November 14, 2030, which includes the existing 60-day departure period. Immigration attorneys stressed that simply holding a valid visa is not enough, and that the student must be physically present in the US when the rule takes effect. Rajiv S Khanna, managing attorney at Immigration.com, was quoted as saying, “A student admitted to the US on or before September 14 falls under the old duration-of-status framework. If that same student is physically present in the US and maintaining status on September 15, the transition provision lets them remain based on the programme end date on the Form I-20, subject to the four-year cap." Khanna added that students entering the US on or after September 15 would instead receive a fixed admission period on their I-94.