## International students face fixed admission periods and new filing requirements

**People studying in the United States on F-1 and J-1 visas will be admitted for a fixed period starting September 15, 2026, rather than for however long their studies take, and those who need more time must seek an extension through both their school and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.** The Department of Homeland Security final rule also covers I visa foreign-media representatives and restricts some changes of school, program and major; it is a major rule under congressional review, so DHS may still publish a different effective date. [Federal Register](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/07/17/2026-14439/establishing-a-fixed-time-period-of-admission-and-an-extension-of-stay-procedure-for-nonimmigrant), [Daily Emerald](https://dailyemerald.com/190622/news/new-federal-rule-sets-strict-visa-limits-for-international-students), [University of Cincinnati International Services](https://www.uc.edu/about/international/visa/updates/ds-rule.html), [National Law Review](https://natlawreview.com/article/department-homeland-security-final-rule-eliminates-duration-status-f-1-students-and), [American Bazaar](https://americanbazaaronline.com/2026/08/17/new-us-visa-rules-from-september-15-affect-h-1b-holders-international-students-486538)

**Anyone applying to extend or change status, secure dependent status or obtain work authorization will need the new editions of Forms I-539 and I-765 starting September 15, 2026, with no grace period for the old versions.** USCIS will reject an application filed on or after that date on an earlier edition; the University of Washington ISS edition table says filings before September 15 still use the 08/28/24 I-539 and 08/21/25 I-765. [University of Washington ISS](https://iss.washington.edu/uscis-new-editions-of-forms/), [Diario Las Américas](https://diariolasamericas.com/eeuu/uscis-anuncia-cambios-tramites-permiso-trabajo-y-estatus-no-inmigrante-n5400721)

## ICE proposes liability coverage for local officers making immigration arrests

**State and local officers who make immigration arrests under federal deputization could get help paying for liability insurance under a new proposal from ICE.** The subsidy is meant to remove a financial deterrent for officers worried about being personally sued over their federal immigration work. [AP News](https://apnews.com/article/eeuu-ice-demanda-civil-4761b255b174ed8e16de2f99955c6582), [PBS News](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/ice-pitches-legal-insurance-to-help-shield-local-officers-who-make-immigration-arrests)

**See whether your local department has a 287(g) agreement, then ask for the insurance contracts.** [287(g) Watch](https://287g.recoveredfactory.net) lists participating agencies by state; a public-records request can turn up whether the department already carries liability coverage for immigration arrests, and on what terms. [287(g) Watch state index](https://287g.recoveredfactory.net/en/states)

## Refugee admissions fall toward a historic low

**People seeking refuge in the United States are arriving in far smaller numbers: the country admitted 10,258 refugees in the first 10 months of fiscal 2026, down from 38,102 in fiscal 2025 and 100,034 in fiscal 2024, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of State Department data.** Pew says the year could finish at the lowest annual level on record against a 17,500 ceiling, and South Africans account for nearly all arrivals so far. [Pew Research Center](https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/08/17/refugee-admissions-to-the-us-are-dropping-sharply-in-trumps-second-term/), [Stateline](https://stateline.org/2026/08/17/refugee-admissions-on-track-to-hit-record-low/)

## Salvadoran TPS nears its scheduled endpoint

**Salvadorans with Temporary Protected Status, the designation that shields people from deportation when their home country is deemed unsafe, are watching a September 9, 2026 endpoint that Spanish-language newsrooms are covering far more closely than their English-language counterparts.** Reporting from El Salvador asks what happens if the Department of Homeland Security does not publish the required determination before that date; by statute the designation continues automatically, usually for six months. DHS told Telemundo it has not made an official announcement yet. [El Salvador.com](https://elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/tps-estatus-de-proteccion-temporal-inmigracion-migracion-y-extranjeria-dhs-el-salvador/1288688/2026), [Telemundo 62](https://www.telemundo62.com/noticias/inmigracion/es-oficial-uscis-confirma-tps-el-salvador-vence-9-de-septiembre/2603141/)

**Salvadorans with qualifying, pending work-permit renewals may keep using expired employment authorization documents through September 9, 2026, with a USCIS notice as proof of the extension.** USCIS is mailing those notices, and sending them electronically to people with myUSCIS accounts; employers can accept the old card plus the notice through that date. [Diario Co Latino](https://www.diariocolatino.com/tps-para-salvadorenos-mantiene-permisos-de-trabajo-hasta-el-9-de-septiembre-de-2026/)

## Around the system

- Local data reporting tracks the growth of ICE arrests in southwestern Utah and examines who is being taken into custody as federal enforcement expands. [The Salt Lake Tribune](https://sltrib.com/news/2026/08/17/ice-arrests-quadruple-st-george)

- Flatbush, New York merchants report fewer customers, staffing problems and workers or residents afraid to leave home amid concerns about immigration enforcement; a neighborhood business survey found that 70% of responding owners had seen lower foot traffic, adding pressure to small storefronts already facing higher costs. [Documented](https://documentedny.com/2026/08/17/flatbush-ice-activity-hurts-business-bid)

- Bay Area legal-aid groups say they will keep representing unaccompanied children after federal funding shifted to a contractor that advocates say lacks experience in immigration court, while a federal judge examines whether the administration's transition plan actually ensures the children have lawyers as required. [KQED](https://kqed.org/news/12095281/unaccompanied-migrant-kids-may-face-legal-gaps-as-bay-area-groups-lose-federal-funding), [La Nación](https://lanacion.com.ar/estados-unidos/nueva-york/el-drama-de-los-ninos-migrantes-en-nueva-york-el-contrato-vencido-que-los-dejo-frente-al-gobierno-nid17082026)

- The administration has paused disputed border construction in Big Bend while residents continue challenging the project and its effects on the surrounding community. [Scripps News](https://scrippsnews.com/politics/immigration/trump-administration-pauses-contentious-border-construction-in-texas-big-bend-national-park), [CBS Texas](https://cbsnews.com/texas/news/construction-begins-in-big-bend-region-as-locals-continue-to-fight-border-project)

- Reading, Pennsylvania, is considering a formal process for police certification of U visa applications, a local step that can affect whether immigrant crime victims are able to pursue federal protection. [Reading Eagle](https://readingeagle.com/2026/08/17/reading-considering-formalizing-u-visa-certification-process)

- U.S. citizen teenagers describe how the arrest and deportation of their parents disrupted their households, separated family members and shifted adult responsibilities onto children. [NBC News](https://nbcnews.com/news/us-news/us-citizen-teens-left-ice-deported-parents-rcna592908)

- DHS is defending investigations of people who criticize the agency, including ICE agents who tracked a Rochester, New York man to his house, an airport and a hotel over a critical email and left a warning notice; he has sued, arguing the visits violated the First Amendment. [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/17/nx-s1-5934692/dhs-free-speech-investigations)