14 October 2026

Partner Christi Hufford Jackson has been quoted in an article by Global Mobility Lawyer on a significant ruling in US immigration law, which has frozen the Department for Homeland Security’s (DHS) move to replace duration-of-status visa admissions.

The ruling means that international students, exchange visitors, and journalists will continue to be admitted to the US for the length of their courses of study or employment engagements, rather than for a set period.

The Trump administration, which wants to impose set periods of immigration permission on these cohorts, is likely to appeal the decision.

On the likely challenges of implementing DHS’s proposed policy, Christi states:

“The biggest challenge would be moving very quickly from a flexible, status-based system to one driven by fixed expiration dates and USCIS extension filings.

“Schools would need to identify affected students, retrain staff, and explain how routine academic decisions – such as changing programmes, transferring institutions, or pursuing another degree – may suddenly have immigration consequences.

“That is especially difficult for graduate students, whose programmes and research paths often change over time and frequently exceed four years. It could also produce a substantial increase in Form I-539 filings and additional processing delays.”

Christi also notes:

“Foreign nationals should also check the status of the litigation before major travel or academic changes, because a revived rule could be implemented with relatively little lead time.”

The full article is available here (£).