Santo Domingo. The United States Government announced a new immigration regulation that modifies the conditions of stay for foreign students, exchange visitors, and media representatives, with the goal of eliminating the “duration of status” admission system, which has been in effect for decades.
The measure, issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), establishes that visa holders in categories F, J, and I will have a defined period of admission, ending the possibility of remaining in the country indefinitely while maintaining active enrollment or valid immigration status.
The announcement gains relevance after the Dominican Johan Efraín Sandoval Rodríguez, 22, was recently detained by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) during an immigration enforcement operation, after alleged irregularities related to his student visa were detected.
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Among the main changes is that students with an F visa and exchange visitors with a J visa will be able to remain in U.S. territory only for the duration of their academic program, with a maximum limit of four years. If they need more time to complete their studies, they must request an extension directly from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency that will conduct biometric verifications, background checks, and fraud prevention controls.
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Likewise, the regulation reduces from 60 to 30 days the grace period that students had to leave the country, change educational institutions, or modify their immigration status once they finish their studies.
Another aspect included in the provision is the tightening of rules for changing academic programs, in addition to establishing that those currently remaining in the United States under the “duration of status” scheme will be automatically incorporated into the new system and their stay will be limited to a maximum of four years from the date the regulation enters into force.
U.S. authorities maintain that these changes seek to strengthen immigration controls, prevent the misuse of student visas, and ensure that beneficiaries comply with the purposes for which they were admitted to the country.
