Duration of Status Final Rule Practice Forum

The fixed period of admission is replacing duration of status for F, J, and I nonimmigrants. The questions have shifted from what the rule says to what it does: how admit-until dates are appearing on I-94s, how extension filings are moving through USCIS, and where advising processes and institutional policies are changing.

This four-hour practice forum brings practitioners together to compare early implementation experience across institutional types. A short description of the rule as in force and on observed field practice is followed by a panel of institutions reporting what broke and what held, then table discussions focusing on key topics such as: the "admit until date" (AUD), program extension v. extension of stay with USCIS, travel and reentry, transition topics, employment topics, F-1 academic restrictions, deadlines driving the work, and J-1 topics. Institutions of various types should benefit: doctoral, comprehensive, baccalaureate, community college, intensive English, and exchange sponsors.

The practice forum is not intended to answer every question about the D/S rule and address every complicated scenario resulting from the rule but will offer approaches to implementation of the rule.  We also want to hear about your approaches, successes, and challenges.  The focus is practical take-aways.

Bring one observation from your own campus. This is a working session, not a briefing. 

Learning objectives

After participating in this forum, attendees will be able to:

1. Distinguish the requirements applying to the transition cohort from those who enter or reenter the United States (or otherwise are issued a date-specific AUD on their Form I-94) on or after the final rule effective date, and identify which campus populations fall into each.
2. Evaluate their institution's procedural workflows (e.g., program extensions, transfers, change of level, employment and practical training, travel authorizations) against observed field practice, locating the points where timing failures or failure to understand the new processes put student/exchange visitor status or work authorization at risk.
3. Develop an advising and communication plan for rule-based deadlines and winter break travel, calibrated to their institution type and staffing capacity.

Co-sponsored by The George Washington University

Location: The George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health