: Monday, July 20, 2026 1:45 PM
Washington. An Indian diaspora policy group has warned that the new four-year limit on F-1 and J-1 visas could force international students to leave the US while they are in the middle of their degree or research. The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has appealed to the US elected representatives and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediately stop the implementation of the new rule of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to FIIDS, this rule was finalized on July 16-17 and is scheduled to come into effect from mid-September.
The organization says that under this rule, the ‘Duration of Status’ policy implemented for years has been abolished and a maximum limit of four years of stay for foreign students has been fixed. Along with this, the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT will also be included in this four-year limit.
FIIDS said that under the new rule, the grace period of 60 days after completion of studies has been reduced to 30 days. Additionally, for any extension of time, students will be required to obtain prior USCIS approval via Form I-539.
Khanderao Kand, head of policy and strategy at FIIDS, said, “This is a self-inflicted wound to America’s competitiveness. The 4-year limit does not match the way modern degrees actually work; the median time for a bachelor’s is about 52 months and for a PhD is about 5.7 years, while USCIS is already processing more than 11 million cases with a processing time of about a year.”
“Students will be forced out of programs or research midway, labs will lose critical talent, and the United States will turn its innovation pipeline over to competitors,” he said.
FIIDS said many research-intensive programs, especially doctoral courses and medical training, routinely last more than four years. J-1 research scholars and doctors also often take five to seven years to complete their programs.
The group warned that uncertainty over visa extensions could disrupt labs, delay graduations and destabilize faculty recruitment plans tied to international talent.
“Delay enforcement, protect students, and protect American research and innovation. If the goal is integrity, let’s do it without destroying the degree pathways that power American labs and startups,” Khanderao Kand said.
In a statement, FIIDS appealed to Congress to reinstate duration-of-status protections for F-1 and J-1 visa holders. It also proposed a statutory exemption for graduate and STEM programs whose average time to completion exceeds 48 months, subject to a limit of 64 months with automatic extensions.
FIIDS has appealed to USCIS and the US Department of Homeland Security to provide administrative relief to students before the new rules take effect. The organization recommended automatic extensions be granted to students in good standing, OPT and STEM OPTs should not be included in the calculation of the four-year maximum period, Form I-539 applications should be processed expeditiously, and the 60-day grace period after completion of studies should be reinstated.
The organization also claimed that there was a 17 percent decline in new admissions of international students for the fall semester of 2025, the largest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to FIIDS estimates, the decline cost the US economy more than $1.1 billion in revenue and affected about 23,000 jobs.
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