US student visa rule may disrupt degrees

The rule cuts the grace period after completion of studies from 60 days to 30 days and requires students to obtain USCIS approval

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). / IANS

A new four-year limit on F-1 and J-1 visas could push international students out of the United States midway through their degrees or research, an Indian diaspora policy group has warned.

The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) urged elected officials and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to halt the immediate implementation of the Department of Homeland Security rule.

According to FIIDS, the measure was finalized on July 16-17 and is set to take effect in mid-September.

The organization said the rule ends the decades-old "duration of status" policy and imposes a maximum stay of four years. It also counts Optional Practical Training and STEM OPT toward that limit.

The rule cuts the grace period after completion of studies from 60 days to 30 days and requires students to obtain USCIS approval through Form I-539 for any extension, FIIDS said.

“This is a self-inflicted wound on U.S. competitiveness,” said Khanderao Kand, chief of policy and strategy at FIIDS.

“A 4-year cap misaligns with how modern degrees actually work—median time to a bachelor’s is about 52 months and to a Ph.D. about 5.7 years—while USCIS is already sitting on more than 11 million cases with roughly year-long processing times.”

“Students will be forced out mid-program or mid-research, labs will lose critical talent, and America will hand its innovation pipeline to competitors,” he said.

FIIDS said many research-intensive programs, particularly doctoral courses and medical training, routinely extend beyond four years. J-1 research scholars and physicians also often require between five and seven years to complete their programs, it said.

Uncertainty surrounding extensions could disrupt laboratories, delay graduations and destabilize faculty recruitment plans tied to international talent, the group warned.

“Delay implementation, protect students, and safeguard U.S. research and innovation,” Kand said. “If the goal is integrity, do it without blowing up degree pathways that power American labs and startups.”

In a statement, FIIDS called on Congress to restore duration-of-status protection for F-1 and J-1 visa holders. It also proposed statutory exemptions for graduate and STEM programs whose median completion periods exceed 48 months, subject to a 64-month limit with automatic extensions.

The group asked USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security to provide administrative relief before the rule takes effect. Its proposals include automatic extensions for students in good standing, exclusion of OPT and STEM OPT from the four-year calculation, faster processing of Form I-539 applications and restoration of the 60-day grace period.

FIIDS said new international enrollments fell 17% in autumn 2025, the steepest drop since the pandemic. It estimated that the decline resulted in more than $1.1 billion in lost revenue and nearly 23,000 fewer jobs.

Discover more at New India Abroad.

Comments

JD

James DURAISWAMY

2026-07-20 00:00:00

The USCIS is correct in informing everyone that they must leave the USA once their course is completed. What's wrong with this? You came here to study and then leave. If you wish to stay, there is a process to follow. It is pretty simple. The United States does not need Indians to run the country. We have our own way of doing things. Why is it so sensitive toward Indians? India has its own laws related to immigration, and so does the USA. If you wish to study, the USA is not the only option. There are several countries in the world offering highly competitive degree programs and beyond. If your intention is to hang around in the US after completing your studies, you will be in for a rude awakening. They might ask you to leave — or you could end up in El Salvador.