Duration of status ends.

New F-1 entries get a fixed “admit until” date: your I-20 end date, capped at four years, plus 30 days. Enrolled before Sept 15? You keep the 60-day grace until you travel or extend.

OPT survives. The clock tightens.

12-month OPT and the 24-month STEM extension stay. File within 30 days of your DSO’s recommendation, and use all post-completion OPT within 14 months of your program end.

CPT narrowed to required coursework.

SEVP guidance now limits Curricular Practical Training to work that is a required part of your curriculum. Optional internships for credit are a harder case. Check with your DSO before accepting.

Record arrests, quieter tactics.

About 50,000 ICE arrests in August 2026, matching July’s record, with fewer visible city surges and more dispersed operations nationwide.

African visa services moved to regional hubs.

Applicants in many African countries now interview at designated hub posts rather than their home embassy. Plan travel and appointment timing early.

The $100,000 H-1B fee is blocked, for now.

A Massachusetts federal court vacated the fee on June 8. On July 24 the First Circuit refused to pause that ruling. A D.C. court had upheld the fee in December, so appeals continue.

USCIS resumes cases for travel-ban nationals.

Benefit requests from nationals of the 39 travel-ban countries, paused since late 2025, are being processed again. Entry restrictions themselves remain.

The lottery now favors higher pay.

Cap registrations are weighted by wage level: a Level IV offer gets four entries, Level I gets one. In force from the FY2027 season.

Travel ban expanded to 39 countries.

Full entry restrictions for 19 countries and partial ones for 20 more, covering F, M, and J visas in most partial-ban countries. Visas issued before January 1 generally still work, with extra vetting.

A $250 visa integrity fee.

Signed into law in July 2025 and charged at visa issuance on top of the $185 application fee. Rollout expected by Sept 30, 2026; some posts already collect it.

Social media must be public.

F, M, and J applicants list every handle from the past five years on the DS-160 and set profiles to public. Keeping accounts private can be read as evasion.