F-1留学生四年上限新规诉讼进入判决阶段：新规仍被全国冻结 政府上诉陈述11月9日到期
截至 11月4日，美国国土安全部（DHS）旨在以最长四年的固定居留期限取代留学生「学业期限」（Duration of Status，D/S）制度的终局规则，仍被联邦法院在全国范围内冻结，未生效。F-1 学生目前仍按学业期限入境与居留，学业结束后的 60 天宽限期不变，也无须为延长居留向移民局（USCIS）递交延期申请。
这项规则由国土安全部于 2026 年 7月17日在《联邦公报》公布（91 FR 44976），全名是「为非移民学术学生、交流访问者与外国信息媒体代表设立固定入境期限与居留延期程序」，对象包括 F-1 学生、J-1 交流访问者与 I 类外国媒体代表，原定 9月15日生效。按原有 D/S 制度，F-1 学生只要维持全日制学业，居留期限与学业进程挂钩、不设固定到期日；新规则则改为最长四年的固定期限，读不完须申请延期。
诉讼由高等教育与移民校长联盟（Presidents' Alliance）牵头，国际教育者协会 NAFSA、麻萨诸塞州独立学院与大学协会以及美国教师联合会、NewsGuild-CWA 等工会组织共同作为原告，2026 年 8月18日在麻萨诸塞区联邦地区法院起诉国土安全部，案号 1:26-cv-13799。9月3日法院在 Boston 举行听证；9月14日，即规则原定生效前一天，联邦法官 F. Dennis Saylor IV 发布全国范围的初步救济，推迟规则生效日期，并禁止国土安全部与移民执法局（ICE）在诉讼期间采取任何实施该规则的行动。
政府已于 9月30日向第一巡回上诉法院提出上诉，案号 26-2112；上诉本身并不使规则恢复效力，冻结令在上诉期间继续有效。地方法院一侧，政府 10月23日提交了行政记录，双方 10月30日交叉递交简易判决动议，11月2日原告递交对政府动议的答辩、政府递交回复，简易判决的文书程序已经齐备，裁决可能在 11月2日之后随时作出。上诉一侧，政府的开审陈述定于 11月9日到期，原告答辩陈述定于 12月9日到期，政府其后有 10 天递交回复。
这起诉讼与 GSM 连日报道的留学生 OPT 收费拟规是两项不同的规则：OPT 拟规是对毕业后实习培训收取学校缴费，公众意见征询 11月9日截止；本案的四年上限规则则已经走完立法程序、卡在法院冻结阶段。两条线的下一个关键日期都在 11月9日。
关联：跟进：留学生OPT拟收费7万美元 公众意见征询11月9日截止
（来源：美国麻萨诸塞区联邦地区法院）
F-1 Four-Year Cap Rule Remains Blocked Nationwide as Litigation Reaches Judgment Stage: Government Appeal Brief Due November 9
As of November 4, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final rule that would replace the longstanding "duration of status" (D/S) framework for international students with a fixed period of admission of up to four years remains blocked nationwide by a federal court and has not taken effect. F-1 students are still admitted for duration of status, the post-completion grace period is still 60 days, and no extension-of-stay filing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is currently required.
DHS published the final rule in the Federal Register on July 17, 2026 (91 FR 44976). Titled "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," it covers F-1 students, J-1 exchange visitors and I-visa foreign media representatives, and was due to take effect on September 15. Under D/S, F-1 students may remain as long as they pursue a full course of study, with no fixed end date; the rule would instead admit them for a fixed period of up to four years, requiring an extension application for any longer program.
A coalition led by the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, joined by NAFSA, the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, the American Federation of Teachers, the NewsGuild-CWA and other labor organizations, sued DHS in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on August 18, 2026 (Presidents' Alliance v. DHS, No. 1:26-cv-13799-FDS). After a hearing in Boston on September 3, U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV granted nationwide preliminary relief on September 14, one day before the rule's effective date, postponing the effective date and prohibiting DHS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from taking any further action to implement the rule while the litigation proceeds.
The government filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on September 30, 2026 (No. 26-2112); the appeal does not put the rule into effect, and the district court's order remains in force. In district court, the government provided the administrative record on October 23, both sides filed cross-motions for summary judgment on October 30, and on November 2 the plaintiffs filed their response and the government its reply, completing summary judgment briefing; a ruling on the merits may come at any time. In the First Circuit, the government's opening brief is due November 9, 2026, the plaintiffs' response brief is due December 9, and the government then has 10 days to file a reply.
The case is separate from the proposed DHS rule that would charge schools fees for F-1 students' Optional Practical Training, whose public comment period closes November 9 and which GSM has covered in recent days. The four-year cap rule, by contrast, completed the rulemaking process and is stalled at the court-block stage; both tracks reach a key date on November 9.
(Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts)
来源：美国麻萨诸塞区联邦地区法院
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：图：位于 Boston 的 Boston University 东校区与 Commonwealth Avenue，本案由总部在麻萨诸塞州的高等教育机构联盟在该州联邦法院提起。4300streetcar 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Boston University's East Campus and Commonwealth Avenue in Boston; the case was filed in Massachusetts federal court by a coalition of higher-education organizations. By 4300streetcar, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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