What happened: On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security finalized changes that eliminate the Duration of Status policy for F-1, I, and J-1 visa holders and replace it with a fixed-term policy limiting their studies or training to no more than four years before needing an Extension of Status.
Why it matters: Previously, individuals could remain in the country for the entire duration of their training without requiring approval for an Extension of Status. This flexibility is vital since many medical residency, doctoral, and postdoctoral programs often take longer than four years to complete. To continue training after four years, an individual would now need to apply and be approved for an Extension of Status.
The big picture: A fixed term period of stay without a guaranteed extension risks:
- Undermining the nation’s ability to attract and retain top international medical and biomedical research talent.
- Increasing the administrative and financial burden on learners and institutions.
- Limiting Americans’ future access to patient care and critical scientific advancements.
The AAMC issued the following statement on the final rule for updates to the Duration of Status (D/S) policy released by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that replaces the current system with a fixed-term period of stay, not to exceed four years:
“The AAMC is concerned by the changes DHS has made to the longstanding Duration of Status (D/S) policy in the final rule published on July 17. As we said in our September 2025 comment letter to former Secretary Noem, we strongly believe there is no compelling need to change the current visa system for international students, trainees, and postdoctoral scholars.
By ending current D/S admissions in favor of a fixed-term period of stay framework, the final rule does not take into account the breadth of complexities of graduate, postdoctoral, and medical residency programs, many of which often take longer than four years to complete.
Maintaining policies that reflect the realities of medical, doctoral, and postdoctoral education and training helps to ensure the United States remains a destination of choice for the world’s most talented learners and researchers.
At a time when the nation is facing a shortage of physicians and growing international competition for its top scientific minds, it is inadvisable to actively reduce our capacity to effectively train the health care workers and biomedical researchers that Americans rely on.
For context, approximately 16,000 residents and fellows – or 1 in 10 residents nationwide – utilize J visas to undergo training at U.S.-based academic health systems every year. National Science Foundation data from 2023 show that there are over 26,000 international graduate students and over 11,000 postdoctoral scholars in the biological and biomedical sciences, many of whom relied on F and J visas. These numbers equate to 24 and 59 percent of total graduate and postdoctoral researchers training or conducting research in those fields at U.S. institutions.
Medical residents, trainees, and researchers are the lifeline for addressing physician shortages across the country and advancing American innovation. Creating impediments to the seamless training of our future physician and biomedical research workforce will have direct impacts on patients’ access to quality care and the advancement of new scientific discoveries.
The AAMC is evaluating the final rule to assess the full impact it will have on learners, the academic medicine community, and patients, and we will continue to engage with the administration to ensure the health needs of patients and the educational opportunities of learners and researchers are protected.”