Immigration

All international students planning to study at the University of Richmond must obtain the appropriate visas before traveling to the United States. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the U.S. Department of State (DOS) are responsible for implementing and overseeing immigration regulations for non-immigrant students.

Non-Immigrant Students

  • An F-1 student is a non-U.S. citizen who is pursuing a full-time course of study to achieve a specific educational or professional objective at a U.S. academic institution that has been designated by the DHS to offer courses of study to such students.
  • A J-1 student is a non-U.S. citizen who is enrolled full-time at an accredited educational institution in either a degree or non-degree prescribed course of study that is supported by a U.S. or foreign government, a U.S. or foreign academic institution, or an international organization.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) helps the DHS and DOS monitor F and J category visitors. The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) is an Internet database that houses information about all international students studying in the United States.

Immigration News

This is an important update about the end of duration of status (D/S) for F and J visa holders. D/S was a long-established policy that allowed F students and J exchange visitors to be admitted to the U.S. without a fixed end date to their status as long as they were making normal progress towards completing their academic degree, exchange program, or optional practical training (OPT).

On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a new rule, Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media, which eliminates D/S admission and replaces it with a fixed end date, or admit until date (AUD) not to exceed 4 years, on the Form I-94 arrival/departure record issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The rule also shortens the grace period for F-1 students from 60 to 30 days. Undergraduates would not be able to change their major or transfer to another U.S. institution in their 1st academic year. Graduate students would not be able to change programs or transfer to another U.S. institution at any point. Students would only be permitted to pursue another U.S. degree at a higher academic level. The rule will become effective on September 15, 2026.

Starting September 15, F visa holders who wish to extend their status beyond the AUD to complete their current program, attend a new program at a higher degree level, transfer to a dual degree program that exceeds 4 years, or work in the U.S. on OPT/STEM OPT, will be required to file the I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status with USCIS in addition to completing a Center for Global Engagement (CGE) application if they plan to remain in the U.S. while the extension of status application is pending. F visa holders beginning a new program of study may travel outside the U.S. and re-enter in a new period of admission as an alternative to filing this application.

J visa holders who wish to extend their exchange program would also need to file the I-539 Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status with USCIS in addition to completing a CGE application if they plan to remain in the U.S. while the extension of status application is pending.

There are flexibilities for F visa holders who have been admitted for D/S and are physically present in the U.S. on the rule’s effective date. The Next Steps Transition Period section and the Transition Period section have more information.

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