The United States is set to impose a four-year limit on the stay of most international students and exchange visitors under a new rule introduced by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a decades-old policy that allowed students to remain for the duration of their academic programmes.
Announced on Thursday by the Trump administration, the policy will require holders of F and J visas to obtain federal approval to remain in the U.S. beyond four years, even if they have not completed their studies, are pursuing postgraduate programmes or are participating in work experience linked to their education.
The rule represents one of the most significant overhauls of the U.S. student visa system in decades and is expected to affect about 1.5 million international students and exchange visitors currently in the country.
Under the new regulation, the four-year limit will also apply to students already studying in the U.S., with the countdown beginning from the rule’s effective date regardless of when they entered the country or the duration of their academic programme.
Students who need additional time, such as doctoral candidates, medical residents and researchers, must apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for an extension, complete biometric screening and pay application fees instead of relying on their institutions to maintain their immigration status.
The DHS warned that students who remain in the U.S. beyond the four-year limit without approval could face three-year or 10-year re-entry bans, depending on the length of their overstay.
The new policy also shortens the grace period students have to leave the country after completing their studies, imposes tighter rules on transferring between educational institutions and limits foreign journalists on I visas to stays of about eight months unless extensions are granted.
According to the Trump administration, the changes are aimed at curbing visa fraud, reducing overstays and strengthening national security through fixed timelines for non-immigrant visa holders.
The latest rule adds to a series of immigration measures introduced by the Trump administration that have tightened access to the United States for foreign nationals, including Nigerians.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria clarified that Nigerians already holding valid F-1 and J-1 visas would not be affected by Presidential Proclamation 10998, despite Nigeria’s inclusion among countries facing partial visa restrictions.
However, Washington has continued to tighten immigration rules. In May 2026, USCIS announced that most foreign nationals temporarily living in the U.S., including Nigerians, would generally have to return to their home countries to apply for permanent residency rather than adjust their status from within the United States.
The new four-year limit now extends those restrictions by directly affecting how long international students can remain in the country, regardless of whether they have completed their studies.
The policy follows earlier changes affecting Nigerian travellers. In July 2025, the U.S. revised its visa reciprocity schedule, reducing most new non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians to single-entry visas valid for three months, replacing the previous multi-entry, longer-validity arrangement.
The latest DHS rule is expected to significantly reshape study plans for thousands of international students, many of whom may now need to seek federal approval to complete longer academic programmes in the United States.
