American English Language School

If you have been counting down to September 15, you can stop. The deadline that international students across Orange County were racing toward did not arrive. One day before the new rule was set to take effect, a federal judge in the District of Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction in Presidents Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration v. DHS . The rule did not take effect on September 15, 2026, and no new effective date has been set. What this means for ESL classes in Irvine right now F-1 students remain on duration of status. Your admission is tied to the program on your Form I-20, not to a fixed calendar date. There is no four-year ceiling. English language programs are not capped at 24 months. And you do not need to file Form I-539 with a fee and biometrics simply to keep studying. This is a pause, not a cancellation. The case is still open and the rule could return in some form. If you were rushing to file, take a breath Many visitors on a B-2 visa spent A...

Update, September 20, 2026: The September 15 deadline discussed below did not take effect. A federal court paused the new F-1 rule on September 14, 2026, and F-1 students remain on duration of status for now. For the latest, read Change of Status to F-1 in Irvine: The September Deadline Is On Hold . If you are in the United States on a B-2 visitor visa and thinking about studying English, one date should be on your calendar: September 15, 2026 . That is when a new DHS rule replaces "duration of status" for F-1 students with a fixed period of admission — and it changes what a change of status approval actually gives you. Why the timing matters A change of status approval is itself an admission decision. If USCIS approves your Form I-539 before September 15, you still receive duration of status, and transition provisions generally let you continue to the program end date on your I-20. You also keep the 60-day grace period instead of the new 30 days, and any English study c...