Dear Erica,
Finally, we have some movement on the status of the final rule affecting Duration of Status (D/S). On May 5, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) submitted the final text to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Once OMB completes its review, assuming it does not respond with questions for DHS, the final rule will be published in the Federal Register.
The text will be made available to the public 24 hours before publication and the effective date will be 60 days after publication. NAFSA expects that the final rule will retain most, if not all, of the changes included in the proposed rule, including replacing D/S with a fixed term of admission not to exceed four years. Review NAFSA’s Duration of Status portal page for resources to prepare for the end of D/S. This will be updated with links to NAFSA’s full analysis of the final rule once available.
Also note that if the final rule is published before the NAFSA 2026 Annual Conference & Expo in Orlando later this month, it will be addressed in a session led by NAFSA entitled, “Duration of Status: What Now?” and in relevant “current issues” conference sessions such as this one featuring a USCIS representative.
In other news, the American Council on Education (ACE) led a coalition letter urging the U.S. Department of State to once again prioritize the processing of international student and scholar visas for the upcoming peak season. The May 6 letter was joined by 32 higher education associations, including NAFSA. Recall that NAFSA and the U.S. for Success Coalition sent similar letters earlier this year. Visit NAFSA’s blog for more information.
We know why access to student visas is so important, but nice to see this well-made case in Forbes for what American students at regional public universities lose when international students are turned away.
We also continue to monitor reported cases of international students and scholars impacted by the USCIS processing pause. Readers are asked to submit cases via NAFSA’s IssueNet tool.
For some good news, recall that Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) recently led a letter in support of robust FY2027 funding for international education and exchange programs at the Department of State. I am delighted to say that the letter garnered the signature of 38 senators. If your senator(s) was a signatory, our system will enable you to send a message of thanks.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Thanks for all. Looking forward to meeting as many readers as possible in Orlando!
Best,
Erica
Erica Stewart
Senior Director, Advocacy & Strategic Communications
NAFSA: Association of International Educators
