Important Update: Court Action on Duration of Status (D/S) Rule:
On Monday, September 14, 2026, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Massachusetts (Presidents' Alliance et al. v. DHS) has issued an injunction,
temporarily blocking DHS from implementing this rule for F and J visa holders. As
a result, the rule ending D/S will NOT take effect on September 15th as originally scheduled, and the current D/S framework
remains in place for now.
What this means is that:
- You and your dependents may continue to be admitted and to remain in the U.S. for Duration of Status, as long as you continue to comply with the terms of your program.
- You do not currently need to apply for an Extension of Stay under the fixed-admission-period system the new rule would have created
- If you are an F-1 student, you are not subject to the rule's new limits on changing your educational objective, transferring institutions, or pursuing additional programs of study – these restrictions also do not go into effect while the preliminary injunction is in place.
- No action is required on your part at this time.
On July 17, 2026, DHS published a final rule establishing a fixed time period of admission and an extension of stay procedure for F nonimmigrant academic students and J exchange visitors. This rule is effective on September 15, 2026, and will impact several aspects of the F-visa and J-visa program regulations. For detailed information regarding the DHS Final Rule, we encourage you to visit Study in the States, the official online resource managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) by clicking HERE. Accordingly, updates to our website content are in progress.
A J-1 Scholar/Exchange Visitor comes to NSU when one of the NSU departments/colleges/administrators extends and invitation to him/her. These are the steps to follow when an Exchange Scholar-J-1 Visitor has been invited to come and share their expertise with NSU:
- Contact the Exchange Scholar to provide information on the requirements to obtain the form DS-2019 (the form with which the scholar will obtain the J-1 visa at the American Embassy/Consulate in his/her country of origin.
- Complete the J-1 Exchange Visitor (Scholar) Request Form and submit to the Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS).
- The OISS will issue the form DS-2019 and send to the Scholar with instructions on how to get his/her J-1 visa.
- When the scholar enters the United States and arrives at the NSU Campus, he/she needs to check in with the OISS to establish an active J-1 Exchange Visitor Scholar Record and make photocopies of all immigration related documents.
- The scholar then checks in with the host college/center and starts his/her appointed duties.
- Funding and Estimated Expenses
Visiting scholars may be financially supported by the NSU host department, external agencies, the scholar’s government or home institution, or entirely by the scholar’s personal resources. Nevertheless, OISS must verify the visiting scholar’s funding prior to issuance of the DS-2019. NSU host departments and/or visiting scholars must submit funding proof of $18,000 for program periods that are longer than one year (programs of less than one year will be prorated).
NSU departments should indicate support and salary commitments on this request form. If a scholar is funded externally or with personal sources, documentation, such as letter of support or personal bank statements are required.
If applicable, visiting scholars bringing family members must show additional funding support of $6,000 for a spouse and $4,000 for each child (these amounts will be prorated for programs of less than one year).
Contact Us
Phone:
(954) 262-7240 or
800-541-6682, ext. 27240
Email:
intl@nova.edu
Office Hours
Monday - Friday: 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Closed weekends and major holidays
Address:
Nova Southeastern University
3300 S. University Drive
Horvitz Admin. Bldg, 2nd Floor
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33328-2004