USACourt decision: not a rule change
USA: US court in Massachusetts pauses the rule that would end "duration of status" for F, J and I visa holders
Covers the week of 14 September 2026 · published 2026-09-24
This describes the week above, not today. Rules move, and this page is not updated after it is published. Check the official source below before you act on it, that is what the link is for.
On 14 September 2026 the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that postponed the effective date of the Homeland Security rule replacing "duration of status" with fixed periods of admission for F students, J exchange visitors and I media visa holders. The rule had been set to start on 15 September 2026 and did not start. This is a court decision only; the government may appeal, and students should keep following the guidance the agency publishes.
This is a court decision, not a change to the rules. It may be appealed, and the authority may not have changed what it publishes. Nothing to act on yet.
Reported by a news outlet. We could not find this on the government's own pages, so treat it as news rather than as a rule you can rely on. Check the official source before you act.
Reported by fragomen.com: https://www.fragomen.com/insights/united-states-district-court-postpones-implementation-of-dhs-final-rule-eliminating-duration-of-status-for-f-j-and-i-nonimmigrants.html
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