On September 14, 2026, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction temporarily preventing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from implementing its new D/S rule affecting F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors, and their dependents. The new rule did not take effect on September 15, 2026. The current Duration of Status (D/S) rules remain in place for now.
What does this mean for UCSF students and scholars?
New I-94s Will Remain Marked D/S
- F-1 and J-1 individuals should continue to be admitted to the U.S. for Duration of Status (D/S) rather than receiving a fixed Admit Until Date. Please continue to check I-94s after every U.S. entry to ensure the class of admission is correctly marked with your visa status, and the admit until date is marked "D/S".
F-1 and J-1 Extensions
- F-1 and J-1 individuals do not currently need to file a USCIS Extension of Stay or travel and re-enter the U.S. solely because ISSO extends the I-20 or DS-2019. The previous extension process remains in effect.
Please note that this is a temporary court order, not a final resolution of the case. Additional court action may occur, and the new rule -- or portions of it -- could take effect with little or no advance notice. ISSO will continue monitoring developments and notify the UCSF international community if requirements change.
What does this mean for international travel?
The ISSO still considers international travel risky and recommends avoiding non-essential international travel if possible. As noted above, the D/S rule has not been vacated and could be allowed to take effect without advance notice. In that case, anyone who is outside of the U.S. on the effective date would re-enter under the new rule with a fixed new admit until date. If you plan to travel internationally, review respective ISSO travel guidance first, consult HR and your PI about potential challenges if you are not able to re-enter as expected, and finally, reach out your ISSO adviser if you have additional questions.
What should you do now?
UCSF Departments
- Department administrators are encouraged to share this update with leaders, fellow administrators, faculty, and other colleagues who support international students and scholars, as appropriate.
- While the new rule is on hold, departments should continue using the previous 6-week timeline to submit J-1 scholar extension requests in Oracle. If the rule takes effect, effective immediately, the timeline will return to requesting that J-1 extensions be submitted 2 months in advance of end dates to give scholars additional time to complete the new extension requirements. ISSO will continue processing requests as they are received from Academic Personnel. Because the court order is temporary, we cannot guarantee processing before federal requirements may change.
J-1 Scholars and F-1 and J-1 Students
- No additional action is required because of the new rule at this time.
- F-1 and J-1 individuals should continue following the current requirements to maintain their status. However, if a passport will expire soon, early renewal is encouraged, as processing may take longer than expected. Passport renewal instructions are available through the embassy or consulate of the individual’s country of citizenship. Unfortunately, ISSO is unable to advise on individual passport renewal procedures.
Outreach
- On Sept 15, 2026, ISSO emailed UCSF-sponsored F-1 and J-1 individuals about the new rule. Departments do not need to send additional or separate communications.
- On Sept 16, 2026, ISSO partnered with Academic Personnel Director and Academic Personnel Managers to notify APAs about the temporary pause via email.
- On Sept 16, 2026, ISSO partnered with Academic Personnel managers to notify UCSF departments about the temporary pause via email.
Please contact your ISSO Adviser if you have questions.