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The is scheduled to take effect September 15, 2026. It is subject to congressional review and .

• Until the rule takes effect, the existing D/S framework remains in place.

“AUD” is shorthand for the Admit Until Date shown on the Form . It is the date through which an individual has been admitted to the United States.

For Exchange Visitors under the fixed-admission system, the Form I-94 will reflect the applicable authorized admission period, including the 30-day departure period.

For a new admission, CBP will generally admit an Exchange Visitor for the program period shown on the Form DS-2019, not to exceed four years, plus the applicable 30-day departure period. Other factors, including one’s passport expiration date, may also impact the authorized admission period.

• The 30-day period before the program start date and the 30-day period following the program end date do not count toward the four-year admission period maximum.

No. Four years is generally the maximum for an individual admission or extension period under the rule. It is not necessarily a lifetime or cumulative four-year limit on participation in J status.

An Exchange Visitor may be eligible for another admission period or an EOS, subject to the maximum participation duration rules for the J-1 visa category.

• The J-1 Research Scholar and Professor categories permit programs longer than four years. Scholars with a Form DS-2019 program end date beyond their authorized admission period will generally need to file an with USCIS or obtain a new admission through international travel and reentry to continue beyond the four-year fixed authorized admission period.

No. The final rule contains transition provisions for F and J nonimmigrants who were admitted for D/S and are maintaining status on the scheduled rule effective date of September 15, 2026.
For an eligible Exchange Visitor in J-1 status, the transition period generally runs through the later applicable date based on the program end date on the Form DS-2019, subject to the four-year transition maximum. For Exchange Visitors, the latest possible transition date, including the 30-day departure period, is October 15, 2030.
Your existing Form I-94 may continue to display “D/S” during this transition period.

If you depart the United States and seek to reenter the United States in J-1 status on or after September 15, 2026, CBP will likely admit you under the fixed-admission system. Your new Form I-94 would contain a specific Admit Until Date rather than D/S. The authorized admission period will generally be based on the program dates on your Form DS-2019, subject to the four-year maximum. Other factors, including one’s passport expiration date, may also impact the authorized admission period.

After every entry to the United States:

1. Retrieve your electronic Form .
2. Confirm that your name and J-1 classification are correct.
3. Check the Admit Until Date carefully.
4. Save a digital copy and keep a copy for your records.
5. Contact ISSS promptly if the Form I-94 does not reflect the admission classification or period you expected.

No. A visa is primarily an entry document that permits you to request admission to the U.S. in a particular nonimmigrant status. Once you are admitted, your maintenance of status and Form I-94 determine your authorized admission period.

1. Retrieve your electronic Form .
2. Confirm that your name and J-1 classification are correct.
3. Check the Admit Until Date carefully.
4. Save a digital copy and keep a copy for your records.
5. Contact ISSS promptly if the Form I-94 does not reflect the admission classification or period you expected. ISSS will help you determine the next steps.

A five-year Exchange Visitor program may still be possible when permitted by the maximum participation duration rules for the applicable J-1 visa category.

However, because an individual authorized admission period generally cannot exceed four years, a scholar whose eligible Exchange Visitor program lasts five years would need an additional period of authorized stay in J-1 status.

A scholar with a Form DS-2019 documenting the 5-year program end date may either:

• Timely file an with USCIS; or
• Depart the U.S. and seek a new admission in J-1 status from CBP.
  • International travel involves separate visa and admission considerations. Readmission decisions are at the discretion of CBP; reentry to the United States is not guaranteed. Consult ISSS to discuss your situation.

There are two separate steps to consider.

Step 1: Extend the Exchange Visitor program through ISSS.

Your host department must submit a DS-2019 Extension Request so that ISSS can determine whether your Exchange Visitor program may be extended and, if appropriate, update SEVIS and issue a new Form DS-2019.

• A Form DS-2019 with an extended program end date does not authorize continued J-1 stay beyond the authorized admission period.

Step 2: Address your authorized admission period.

If the new Form DS-2019 program end date extends beyond your current authorized admission period, the Form DS-2019 extension alone is not sufficient. Under the , you must either:

1. Timely file an with USCIS; or
2. Depart the United States and seek a new admission in J-1 status from CBP.
   • International travel involves separate visa and admission considerations. Readmission decisions are at the discretion of CBP; reentry to the United States is not guaranteed. Consult ISSS to discuss your situation.

The Exchange Visitor is responsible for filing the with USCIS including submitting the required Form DS-2019, fees, and other required evidence.

Individuals who need legal advice or assistance preparing a USCIS filing should consult an immigration attorney.

An Exchange Visitor EOS application is considered timely when USCIS receives it on or before the date the authorized admission period expires, including the 30-day grace period reflected in the Form I-94 Admit Until Date (AUD).

• Filing and USCIS processing can take a significant amount of time. (USCIS posts their processing times on .) Scholars should begin discussing possible extensions with their host department and ISSS well in advance of the AUD.

Generally, yes, if the EOS application was timely filed and you are maintaining status and otherwise meet the rule’s requirements. The rule allows Exchange Visitors to continue activities consistent with the program, including authorized employment, for up to 240 days after the authorized admission period expires while the EOS is pending.��

• A timely filed EOS means a person is in a period of authorized stay while the application is pending and does not accrue unlawful presence during that adjudication period. However, if USCIS denies the EOS after the prior admission period has expired, the person must depart the U.S. immediately.

There is also a temporary transition provision for certain EOS filings for those holding J-1 status and submitted during the first six months after the rule takes effect. For qualifying Exchange Visitors who timely file an EOS application on or before March 18, 2027, authorized activities under the program, including employment and training, may continue while the EOS is pending, through the end date of the Form DS-2019 submitted with the EOS application.

Travel while an EOS is pending requires careful consideration and planning. A pending application should not be treated as the equivalent of an approved EOS. Travel can affect both your pending application and the authorized admission period CBP grants upon reentry. Readmission decisions are at the discretion of CBP; reentry to the United States is not guaranteed. Consult ISSS before traveling while your EOS is pending.

In general:

• If you depart the United States while your EOS is pending and return before your previously authorized admission period has expired:
  • USCIS generally will not consider the EOS abandoned if you seek admission for the balance of the previously authorized admission period.
• If you seek to re-enter the United States using a Form DS-2019 with a program end datebeyond your previously authorized admission period:
  • CBP may admit you based on a Form DS-2019 with a future program end date and the entry to the United States would provide a new period of admission.��The pending EOS may be deemed abandoned by USCIS because CBP has effectively granted a new period of stay. However, readmission decisions are at the discretion of CBP and reentry to the United States is not guaranteed.

Individuals traveling with a pending EOS should carry the USCIS receipt notice together with the current Form DS-2019 and other supporting documentation.

An Exchange Visitor with a timely filed EOS may remain in the United States while USCIS adjudicates the application and does not accrue unlawful presence because the EOS remains pending. Employment authorization under the general automatic-extension provision does not automatically continue beyond the applicable 240-day period. Scholars approaching this timeframe should consult ISSS.

The continues to allow for transfers of one's Exchange Visitor program, but the fixed-admission system creates an additional timing issue.

A SEVIS transfer or new Form DS-2019 does not, by itself, extend an authorized admission period. If the new program sponsor requires you to stay beyond your existing AUD, an EOS or a new admission may also be required. Consult ISSS and the new Exchange Visitor program sponsor early when considering transferring your J-1 SEVIS record and Exchange Visitor program.

Yes. Exchange Visitors continue to receive a 30-day period after the program end date for departure or taking action to maintain lawful status. Under the fixed-admission system, the 30 days are included in the Form I-94 Admit Until Date (AUD).��

• The departure period does not extend the Exchange Visitor program or create continued employment authorization after the Exchange Visitor program end date.

If your Exchange Visitor program ends earlier than originally expected and the program end date is shortened, the original Form I-94 date does not give you permission to continue activities through that later date.

The Exchange Visitor in J-1 status and any accompanying dependents in J-2 status must depart the United States or otherwise seek to maintain lawful status within 30 days of the new, shortened program end date.

Termination is different from normal program completion or a shortened program.

A terminated J-1 SEVIS record does not provide the 30-day post-program departure period. Depending on the circumstances, you may want to consult an immigration attorney.

Your Form I-94 Admit Until Date (AUD) determines your authorized period of stay. Remaining in the United States beyond your AUD without a timely filed EOS or change of status application can result in the accumulation of. It can also result in deportation.��

Monitor your Form I-94 AUD and review it every time you reenter the United States. If it appears inaccurate, consult ISSS immediately.��

If you are present in the United States beyond your AUD and you do not have a timely filed EOS or change of status application, depart the United States immediately or seek legal advice from an immigration attorney.

Yes.��Dependents in J-2 status are also subject to fixed admission periods, and their authorized admission generally cannot extend beyond the J-1 principal’s authorized admission period.

When an extension is required, a dependent in J-2 status may be included in the J-1 principal’s qualifying EOS application or may need to file their own EOS application, depending on the circumstances and USCIS filing requirements.

The basic requirement remains: a dependent in J-2 status must obtain USCIS employment authorization, evidenced by an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), before working.

The does not give dependents in J-2 status the same automatic 240-day employment continuation available to certain Exchange Visitors. If the J-2 EAD expires, the dependent in J-2 status may not continue working merely because an EOS or EAD application is pending.

In addition, the employment authorization of a dependent in J-2 status cannot extend beyond their authorized admission period, and their authorized admission cannot exceed that of the J-1 principal.

• If you are maintaining J-1 status and were admitted in D/S before the effective date, you fall under the transition provisions. You do not need to depart the United States on September 15, 2026.�� You are authorized to remain in the United States through the end date on their Form DS-2019 or up to 4 years plus the 30-day departure period (October 15, 2030), whichever is earlier.
• Actions such as travel/reentry or an EOS can move you into the fixed-admission framework sooner.

Your Form DS-2019 ends June 30, 2028 and your AUD is July 30, 2028. You can complete the program through June 30, 2028 and use the 30-day departure period through July 30, 2028.��

• A new admission period is not needed since the AUD is later than the Form DS-2019 program end date.

Your current AUD is September 30, 2029, but your Exchange Visitor program end date on your Form DS-2019 goes through September 26, 2030.��

• You will need to obtain a new admission period through timely filing an EOS or obtaining a new admission through international travel/reentry before your current AUD expires.

Your host department must submit a DS-2019 Extension Request so ISSS can extend your SEVIS record and issue a Form DS-2019 with the extended program end date. The Form DS-2019 extension does not, by itself, extend the authorized admission period. You will need to obtain a new admission period through timely filing an EOS or obtaining a new admission through international travel/reentry before your current AUD expires.

A timely EOS will generally allow an Exchange Visitor to remain in the United States and continue engaging in the exchange program activities while USCIS adjudicates the application. Authorized employment in J-1 status may continue for up to 240 days, but the Exchange Visitor should maintain proof of timely filing.