💥 Major Win | D/S Rule Scheduled to Take Effect on September 15 Has Been Temporarily Paused

✋ International students, Attorney Xiaozeng has to quickly share this breaking good news with you!

DHS originally planned to eliminate the D/S (Duration of Status) system that F-1, J-1, and certain other nonimmigrant statuses have traditionally used for long-term stays, replacing it with a fixed period of admission.

But just one day before the new rule was scheduled to take effect, a federal court ordered that its implementation be temporarily paused.

This pause means more than simply “D/S is temporarily protected.”

The broader set of rules that would have significantly tightened the management of international students’ immigration status is also temporarily blocked from being implemented.

🎉 What does this mean for international students?

✅ For now, you generally won’t need to file an additional Extension of Stay with USCIS simply because your studies extend beyond a fixed period of admission.

✅ The flexibility to transfer schools, change your major, or change programs is temporarily preserved, without immediately being subject to the stricter limitations under the new rule.

✅ The current 60-day F-1 grace period will not be shortened to 30 days for now.

✅ There will not be an immediate increase in the pressure of maintaining status when transitioning between OPT, STEM OPT, continuing education, and school transfers.

✅ F-1 and J-1 students who are already in the U.S. will not, for now, be switched over to the new fixed-period-of-admission system.

📌 In simple terms:

The court’s decision does not just temporarily protect one “D/S” provision.

It temporarily preserves much of the flexibility international students currently have regarding:

👉 Extending their studies

👉 Transferring schools

👉 Changing programs

👉 Transitioning to OPT

👉 Maintaining status between different stages of education and employment

👉 The grace period after completing a program

For international students who are currently studying, preparing for OPT/STEM OPT, planning to transfer schools, or considering further education, this is definitely a positive development.

‼️ However, one important reminder:

This is only a temporary pause in implementation, not a permanent cancellation of the rule.

We’ll need to continue watching for the court’s next steps and any further action from DHS.

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