Introduction

• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on July 17, 2026 that makes many significant changes to F and J visa regulations, including introducing “fixed time periods” of admission for students and scholars as well as imposing restrictions on F-1 students' abilities to change their current or pursue new educational objectives.
• The final rule is not scheduled to go into effect until September 15, 2026. Existing regulations under “duration of status” apply until then, so the rule will not affect the ability of international students and scholars to come or return to Brown for the Fall 2026 semester. 
• Anyone entering on or after September 15 can still enter the U.S. as usual, but will be admitted under the new fixed time period regulations described below.

To provide community members with a detailed sense of the new regulations, we have developed two summary pages: one for F-1 students and their dependents, and the other for J-1 exchange visitors (students and scholars) and their dependents. Click on the appropriate link below to access the page applicable to you.