US Students Visa Rules: There is going to be a big change for thousands of Indian students who are preparing to study in America. The US government is going to implement important changes in the rules related to student and exchange visas from September 15, 2026. Under this, the duration of status system that has been in place for years will be abolished and a fixed time period of admission system will be implemented. In view of this change, many American universities have advised international students to return to America before September 15, so that they do not have to face any administrative or immigration related problems after the implementation of the new rules. This change is being made under the new policy of the US Department of Homeland Security. This will affect F-1 student visa, J-1 exchange visitor and other category visa holders. Especially thousands of students from countries like India, who go to America every year to study, will now have to keep an eye on their visas and the period of authorized stay more than before.

What is going to change?

Till now, students studying in America on F-1 visa were given admission under Duration of Status. That is, as long as the student followed the conditions of his course, continued studying full time and followed the visa rules, he could stay in America. The period of his stay was not linked to any date. But this system will change from 15 September 2026. Under the new rule, students will be given a fixed period while entering America, the end date of which will be decided in advance. If a student’s course continues longer than that period, he or she will have to apply for extension of status in time or go through the re-admission process.

Permission may be limited to 4 years

According to the new arrangement, most F-1 students will be allowed to stay for a maximum of 4 years as per the duration of their academy program. After completion of the course, they will also get a grace period of 30 days. Till now, usually a grace period of 60 days was given to the student after completion of his studies. This change can have the biggest impact on those students who are doing long courses like PhD, Research Integrated Degree. In such cases, if the studies continue for more than 4 years, students will have to apply for stay extension from US Citizenship and Immigration Services in time. For this, updated Form I-120, documents related to the need for additional time and in many cases proof of financial resources will also have to be provided.

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Rules will be strict on overstay

Under the new system, the rules for students who stay in America even after the end of the period will be more strict than before. If a student stays in America without permission after the end of the authorized period, then counting of Unlawful Presence will start against him. If a person stays illegally for more than 180 days, he may be barred from re-entering the US for 3 years. And if you overstay for a year or more, a re-entry ban of up to 10 years can be imposed.

Will it be difficult to change course and university?

Under the new policy, the rules for changing course, major or institute during studies are also being made stricter than before. F-1 students at the undergraduate level will not be allowed to change their course or major during the first year under normal circumstances. The Student and Exchange Visitor Program may permit this only under special circumstances. At the same time, for graduate students, the process of changing program and taking transfer to another institution will be more limited than before.

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