India Groups Call for Halt as New US Visa Rule Threatens to Disrupt International Degrees, Research
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A new four-year cap on F-1 and J-1 student visas could force international scholars out of the United States mid-degree, prompting sharp criticism from higher education advocates and immigrant advocacy groups.
The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has called on lawmakers and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to halt the rule before its scheduled implementation in mid-September. Finalised on July 16–17, the regulation replaces the longstanding ‘duration of status’ framework which allowed students to stay for as long as they remained enrolled in good standing with a fixed four-year maximum limit.
Changes Introduced by the DHS Rule
- A strict 4-year limit: Caps total stay for F-1 and J-1 visa holders, including period calculations for Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT.
- Shorter grace period: Reduces the post-completion grace period from 60 days to 30 days.
- Mandatory extension filings: Requires students needing extra time to apply directly to USCIS using Form I-539.
- Impact on advanced degrees: Creates major hurdles for doctoral candidates, medical residents, and STEM researchers whose programs routinely run past 48 months.
Khanderao Kand, chief of policy and strategy at FIIDS, described the change as a ‘self-inflicted wound on US competitiveness.'
"A 4-year cap misaligns with how modern degrees actually work median time to a bachelor’s is about 52 months and to a PhD about 5.7 years while USCIS is already sitting on more than 11 million cases with roughly year-long processing times," Kand said, warning that labs risk losing talent mid-research while competing nations capitalize on the shift.
Economic Fallout and Calls for Policy Relief
The policy shift comes as international student numbers show signs of strain. FIIDS noted that new international enrollments dropped 17% in autumn 2025, the sharpest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic costing an estimated $1.1 billion in university revenues and threatening nearly 23,000 jobs.
To prevent further fallout, FIIDS is urging Congress to restore duration-of-status protections or establish statutory exemptions for STEM and graduate programs taking longer than 48 months. The group is also petitioning the Department of Homeland Security for administrative relief, including automatic extensions for students in good standing, expedited I-539 processing, and the reinstatement of the 60-day grace period.
