On Aug. 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will publish an Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register titled “Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media,” which proposes to admit nonimmigrants in the F (academic student) and J (exchange visitor) categories for a fixed period of time instead of duration of status. 

Under the proposed rule, F and J nonimmigrants will be given a date certain for admission to the United States based on the length of their program. For F and J nonimmigrants, this fixed period is until completion of their program or four years, whichever is shorter. Nonimmigrants seeking to continue their studies will be able to apply for an extension of stay with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 

DHS will accept public comments on the proposed rule from Aug. 28, 2025, until Sept. 27, 2025, and on the related information collections, under the Paperwork Reduction Act, until Oct. 27, 2025. Refer to the Federal Register notice for instructions about how to submit comments for DHS consideration. Following the public comment period, DHS will review all properly submitted comments and materials and may revise the rule based on public feedback.