Huge blow for Indian students on F-1 visa: White House clears ‘final’ rule limiting US stay flexibility

Last year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed rule that would limit the amount of time foreign students, professors, and certain other visa holders are allowed to stay in the US without additional screening and vetting. The federal agency’s suggestion was part of Donald Trump’s larger bid to curb what it describes as “visa abuse.”

On Wednesday, the White House finished reviewing the proposal. It would swap the current open-ended admission of international students, known as “Duration of Status” (D/S), with a fixed period of admission.

As a result, F-1 visa-holding students will have to renew their lawful non-immigrant status with DHS after a fixed four-year cycle. The Office of Management and Budget cleared the proposed rule (RIN: 1653-AA95), 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,” helping it reach its “final” stage this week before its public release.

How Trump admin’s new rule impacts student visa holders

As DHS established, foreign students (F-type visa holders) have long been admitted to the US for an unspecified period known as “Duration of Status.” Since the late 70’s, visas issued with this designation have allowed their holders to remain in the country for an indefinite amount of time without any new rounds of screening and vetting.

However, the Trump administration’s proposed rule, when officially released, would restrict the time allowed for student visa holders in the United States. Foreign students and exchange visitors’ authorised admission would be restricted to the duration of the program they are participating in, not to exceed a four-year period.

Once formally rolled out, the rule will also impact foreign media representation, setting their initial admission period for up to 240 days.

“Admitting foreign students, exchange, and foreign media classifications for a fixed period of time would require said aliens to apply for authorization to extend their stay with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), therefore requiring regular assessments by DHS for the alien to remain in the U.S. for a longer period,” the DHS stated last year while announcing the proposal.

“This would allow DHS to conduct proper oversight as part of SEVP and SEVIS by making access to necessary information more accessible and reducing the number of individuals here on visas.”

The formal suggestion is in line with a rule proposed by the Trump administration during the MAGA leader’s first term in 2020. It was, however, eventually withdrawn by the Biden administration the following year.

“For too long, past Administrations have allowed foreign students and other visa holders to remain in the U.S. virtually indefinitely, posing safety risks, costing untold amount of taxpayer dollars, and disadvantaging US citizens,” a DHS spokesperson said in August 2025. “This new proposed rule would end that abuse once and for all by limiting the amount of time certain visa holders are allowed to remain in the U.S., easing the burden on the federal government to properly oversee foreign students and their history.”

The Trump administration renewed its efforts to push for the proposal during the Republican leader’s second term, accusing foreign students of taking advantage of the country’s generosity by becoming “forever” students and remaining perpetually enrolled in higher education courses to extend their stay in the US.

Bipartisan opposition to rule getting rid of Duration of Status for student visas

In a rare bipartisan collaboration, two Republican signatories and two Democrats put forward a letter in May, urging the DHS and the Office of Management and Budget to “preserve Duration of Status and ensure efficient visa processing policies that support a stable environment for international students and scholars.”

Indian-origin Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi was one of the four lawmakers to sign the letter, underscoring that replacing the Duration of Status clause with a “capped admission period of four years would require many students to seek repeated extensions, creating unnecessary administrative burdens, processing delays, and disruptions to academic continuity.”

The bipartisan appeal asserted that the changes enacted as part of the massive student visa overhaul would “undermine America’s ability to attract and retain top global talent at a time when competitor nations continue expanding efforts to recruit international students, researchers, and high-skilled STEM workers.”

The US Congress members even went on to build their argument against limiting the US stay flexibility of these visa holders by citing surveys on “international talent pipelines” from the Institute for Progress and NAFSA: Association of International Educators.

One of the key findings of the student survey indicated that ending the Duration of Status would deter enrollment. It showed that nearly 50% of international graduate students and postdoctoral researchers would not have decided to enroll in US programs in the first place had D/S been replaced with a fixed period of admission.

International student share drops in US universities

Amid the Trump administration’s enhanced immigration crackdown, international students’ enrollment in US universities has already gone down. According to a recent report by organisations including US-based international education nonprofit NAFSA, foreign student enrollment at US universities for the 2026 spring semester fell by 20% from last spring.

The report further indicated that around 62% of institutions reported lower foreign student enrollment in both undergraduate and graduate programs compared to the previous year.

The US Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) Mapping Tool’s data on international students was also presented in the Indian Parliament in April. It further lifted the lid on a nearly 7% decline in Indian students at US universities. As of February 2026, figures tied to individuals pursuing various education programs stood at 352,644 (as opposed to 378,787 in February 2025).

Despite Trump’s stringent immigration policies, which have especially targeted Indian professionals, US officials have acknowledged that international students account for a crucial source of contributions to the country’s economy.

Earlier this year, the official government website of the International Trade Administration affirmed that international students bolster US trade revenue. It cited data released in late 2025, indicating that international visitors spent a record $188.1 billion on U.S. travel and tourism-related goods and services, accounting for 7.4 percent of total U.S. trade in goods and services during the first nine months of 2025.

International visitors contributed, on average, nearly $689 million a day into the U.S. economy during this time, the International Trade Administration reported.

Of this total, international students’ expenses account for an estimated 75.4% of spending – $42.6 billion, or 23% of total travel exports through the first nine months of 2025. These included tuition, room and board, health care costs, and other expenditures students bear while studying across the US.

NAFSA’s analysis of the data released in November 2025 further foregrounded that international students’ near-$43 billion contribution to the US economy supported more than 355,000 jobs during the 2024-25 academic year.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, immigration, or tax advice. Immigration laws and government policies are subject to frequent change without notice. While we strive to provide accurate updates, readers are strongly advised to verify the latest requirements with the official embassy, consulate, or government portal of the respective country. Financial Express is not responsible for any decisions made based on this information. For personalised guidance, please consult a qualified immigration attorney or a certified professional advisor.