US Student Visa Rules 2025: Latest Changes Made By US Government

Changes to the Duration of Status Policy

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has also proposed to replace the F-1 visa "Duration of status" (D/S) policy with a fixed four-year period of admission, demanding students to apply for visa extension with USCIS in case, their program duration is longer. Following are the proposed key changes to the "duration of status" for F-1 visa.

English language Fixed Admission Period: F-1 students would now get admission for a maximum of four years. If their program is longer, they must apply for visa extension from USCIS.

Shorter Grace Period: Now, students would have 30 days and not 60 days to leave the US after their program gets completed.

Program Changes Restricted: Graduate students may also face limitations when changing academic program or level of study in between the course.

Impact on Long Programs: Students in longer programs will face challenges in applying for extensions to maintain their legal status in the US.

The Decision to Scrap Dropbox Facility for H1-B, Students, and Tourists

Until now, thousands of visa applicants were renewing their visas with the Dropbox option (interview waiver). They didn’t have to face the consular interviews and rejections if they did not meet any eligibility criteria. Now, this facility has been terminated for a majority of the categories, with applicants now required to attend face-to-face interviews at US consulates.

Also Read: USA F1 Visa Interview Questions and Answers

What are the key changes effective from September 2, 2025?

With the removal of the dropbox facility, these are the key changes that will be effective from September 2, 2025.

• Some specific categories of visas like H1-B workers, F-1 students, and B-1/B-2 tourists cannot renew their visas via interview waivers. They now have to attend in-person interviews at US Consulates.

• There are only a few exemptions in this case, including certain diplomatic and official visas.

• With the rise in demand, the visa processing time at Indian consulates will be longer.

• Children below 14 years of age and seniors above 79 years of age are no longer automatically exempt.

Majorly, the prime reasons behind this move are security vetting and uniformity in the US government cities. The immediate effect includes delays, rescheduled plans, and uncertainty for thousands of Indians in the future.

Related articles:

• Student Visa Processing Time By Country

• Reasons for US Student Visa Rejection

No Transfers in First Year, Fresh Stamping for Extensions

With the new F-1 visa rule in the US, international students will be facing one of the most challenging overhauls of the student visa for USA rules in recent years.

Highlights of the New F-1 Student Visa Framework

• No university or course transfer in the first academic year: It has now become mandatory for students to complete at least one year at their chosen university that is listed on their I-20 form.

• Back-to-back degrees at the same level are now banned: For example, A student cannot pursue two consecutive master’s programs without exiting from the US.

• The OPT grace period has been reduced: Until now, students used to get 60 days to stay in the US after completing their OPT, but from now on, they will only have 30 days.

• New stamping for academic extensions: If students want to extend their programs, they must exit from the US, get a new visa stamp and come back again.

• 4 years visa validity cap: Earlier, the study permits in the US were issued for “duration of status”, but from now, they will be issued for a maximum of four years.

These rules are introduced to put an end to misuse of visas but they also add new hurdles for genuine students.

Know more:

Decline of Travelling to US for Indians for the First Time in 23 Years!

The Indian arrivals to the US have dropped for the first time since 2001 (excluding pandemic years).

• There was an 8% year-on-year decrease in the number of Indian visitors to the US in June 2025, from 230,000 to 211,000.

• In July 2025, there was another 5.5% decline in the number.

After Mexico, India ranks on the second-largest number of US visitors, and this decline is surely majorly due to visa appointment delays and cancellations, maximising uncertainty for both students and workers in the US, and stricter visa policies.

Student Visas are Impacted the Most

Undoubtedly, Indian students make up one of the largest international student groups in the US, however, they are bearing a lot because of these ongoing visa changes.

• In July 2025, the arrival of Indian students dropped down by 46% year-on-year.

• There is a 28% decline in the number of overall international student visas, with approximately around 79,000 fewer entries this time.

• In fact, amidst the ongoing Visa application chaos, the consulates even warn of a much higher decline of around 70-80% in the number of Indian enrollments for Fall 2025.

As Indian students are seen as a significant contributor to the tuition and research funding in the US, these visa changes could cost the top US universities more than $1 billion in lost revenue.

What Should Students and Visa Applicants Do Now?

These are some of the immediate steps that Indian students should take, if they are impacted by these ongoing visa changes in the US.

Student already in the US

• Do not plan any international travel till the visa status becomes stable.

• Keep all the important documents like I-20, SEVIS records, OPT/CPT updated.

• Always stay in touch with the international office in your university for support.

Read More: Difference Between CPT and OPT

New applicant for F-1, H-1B, or B-1/B-2 visas

• Apply Early: Book all the appointments as early as possible to avoid hassles later.

• Keep documents ready: Pay attention to preparing for the interviews well as they have now become mandatory.

• Explore other alternatives: Keep options for other study-abroad destinations like Canada, UK, Australia, Germany open as delays in visa processing can affect the semester start dates.

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