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A longstanding automatic extension of work authorisation for some categories of international students is coming to an end in the US with ramifications for F‑1 visa holders. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it will discontinue the practice of granting F‑1 students and exchange visitors an automatic extension for certain work permits from 30 October 2025. International students on F‑1 visa status who are working off-campus in Optional Practical Training (OPT) programs including those students with STEM OPT are being urged to apply now to renew their Employment Authorisation Document (EAD) without relying on the “automatic extension” of work eligibility until the renewal application is adjudicated by USCIS. USCIS is ending the automatic extension of work authorisation for F‑1 visa students and J‑1 exchange visitors when their Employment Authorisation Documents (EADs) are still pending approval unless renewal was requested prior to the expiration date of their previous EADs. What’s Changing? The “automatic extension” of work eligibility refers to the past practice where after submitting the renewal application before the prior EAD expired a student could still work legally while the renewal application was pending before USCIS. This grace period will now come to an end which means that if an F‑1 student’s EAD expires and a renewal is still pending they will no longer be allowed to continue working until USCIS issues a new EAD. Under the new rule: Students are required to immediately stop working upon the expiry of their EAD while their renewal application is still pending. This applies even if the renewal is still pending because of long government processing times. Students have 90 days to file their renewal application before their EAD expires. Institutional and Policy Context The decision to end the automatic extension of work eligibility is part of a broader shift by the Joe Biden administration to tighten immigration and work-authorization rules for certain categories of non-citizens. In April 2024 USCIS rescinded earlier rules implemented by the Donald Trump administration that had granted automatic work-authorization extensions to a range of other non-citizen groups including international students spouses of H‑1B visa holders temporary residents with pending applications for asylum work visas or green cards and others. “The end of the automatic extension policy is intended to make clear to noncitizens that employment authorization is a privilege not a right” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow was quoted as saying. In a DHS Fact Sheet on the policy the department said the agency aims “to ensure noncitizens who work in the United States are authorized to do so and to prevent fraudulent activity”. What this means for Indian Students? Indian students are among the top contingents of foreign students in the U.S. and the shift away from the automatic extension of work authorization could impact Indian students who rely on OPT and STEM OPT to gain industry experience or work as a stepping stone toward longer-term employment. The elimination of the automatic extension of work eligibility may create real risks for Indian students who are unable to renew their EADs in time including losing their employment having to leave the United States and facing difficulties in future visa sponsorship. In practice the shift may put more pressure on F-1 students who are applying for or approaching OPT and STEM OPT renewal to be more punctual in application and filing to work closely with the Designated School Official (DSO) to ensure the STEM OPT recommendation is ready well before the EAD is due to expire and the I‑20 that will be attached to the STEM OPT extension application is current and not expired and to consider premium processing such as by filing Form I-907 as a way to mitigate the risk of gaps in work eligibility and USCIS processing delays. Communication and transparency with current or prospective employers is also important so that both the student and the employer are aware of the narrow timeline and risk of lapsing work eligibility. The Takeaway Indian students on F‑1 visas or planning to apply for F‑1 visas in the United States who are hoping to work in the United States after graduation through OPT or STEM OPT should be aware of the timeline. The window to file may be tight but with careful planning the change may not have a significant impact. USCIS said the policy change is not a substantive change to the law or regulations governing employment eligibility for foreign students spouses of H‑1B workers and certain other groups. However in practice the change introduces a real risk of a gap in employment visa status and paycheque and the uncertainty may make it more challenging for employers to hire or retain F‑1 OPT candidates.