When does the F-1 60-day grace period start — and who still gets 60 days?
A student wrote to my office with three candidate dates: her visa stamp expired August 30, her OPT work authorization ended July 31, and she was laid off July 17. Which one started her grace period? Students guess the visa date most often, and it's the one date that matters least. That part hasn't changed. What has changed — since the rule that ended duration of status on September 15, 2026 — is how long the period is once it starts. Two questions now, not one: what starts the clock, and how many days are on it.
Question 1: what starts the clock
| Date | What it actually controls |
|---|---|
| Program end date (I-20/SEVIS) | Starts the grace period if you don't go on to OPT or another program. |
| OPT/EAD end date | Starts the grace period when your post-completion OPT runs its full course. |
| Visa stamp expiration | Only your ability to enter the U.S. You can remain in valid F-1 status with an expired visa stamp; it neither starts nor shortens a grace period. |
| Layoff date during OPT | Starts your unemployment-day count (90 days max on standard OPT), not a grace period. Your OPT authorization continues until the EAD end date. |
So in the student's scenario above: her grace period began July 31, the day her OPT authorization ended. The layoff two weeks earlier consumed unemployment days; the visa stamp was irrelevant. You get one grace period per completed phase — if you moved straight from your program into OPT, the days run once, after OPT ends.
Question 2: how many days are on the clock
Sixty days used to be the only answer. Now there are four, and yours depends on how you were admitted and how your stay ends. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v); 214.1(m)(1)
- 60 days — transition students. If you were in the U.S. on September 15, 2026, maintaining F-1 status, admitted for duration of status, and you have not left and re-entered since, your completion still carries the familiar 60 days. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)
- 30 days — fixed-period admissions. Students admitted under the new fixed-date system get 30 days, already built into the I-94 end date after the program dates. Completing the program early also carries 30 days. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)
- 15 days — authorized withdrawal. Withdrawing from studies with the school's authorization carries a 15-day departure period. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)
- None — status violation. A violation carries no departure period at all. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)
The travel trap: one trip abroad and back after September 15, 2026 converts a transition student to the fixed-date system — the future grace period becomes 30 days, permanently. A winter-break trip home can quietly cut your runway in half. Details in the travel guide; the full four-number breakdown is in the 60-vs-30 guide. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)
What you can do during the grace period
- Prepare to depart the United States. That is the period's core purpose — the regulation now calls it a "departure period."
- Transfer to another SEVP-certified school or change education level — your DSO must move or update the record before the period runs out. With 30 days instead of 60, this needs to be in motion before your program ends, not after.
- File a timely I-539 — an extension of stay or change of status. USCIS must receive it before your authorized stay ends, and the grace period counts as authorized stay for this purpose. But an I-539 filed during the grace period comes with a real limit: while it is pending, you may study only, not work. Filed before your program end date, a timely extension preserves more. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(B)
- File for OPT — within its own window. The OPT filing deadline is a separate rule: USCIS must receive the I-765 no later than 30 days after your program end date. For a fixed-period student, the OPT window and the 30-day departure period end together — there is no slack. For a transition student, the 60-day grace period outlasts the OPT filing window by a month, so don't confuse the two clocks. See the filing-window guide. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(B)(2)
What you can't do
- Work. All employment authorization ended with your program or OPT.
- Re-enter in F-1 after leaving. Departure during the grace period ends it under longstanding SEVP guidance — there's no returning on that SEVIS record. If you have travel plans and a pending next step, sequence them with your DSO before booking anything.
- Assume you have 60 days — or any days — after a termination. The full grace period follows completion. An authorized withdrawal carries 15 days; a status violation carries none. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v)
The edge case that trips people: not finishing on time
If you don't complete your program by the I-20 end date — a failed class, a delayed thesis — you can't ride the grace period into "extra time." Extensions must be requested before the end date passes, and under the fixed-period system that generally means a timely I-539 as well as the SEVIS extension. Once the date lapses without one, the options (reinstatement, departure and re-entry on a new record) are all worse than the five-minute conversation with your DSO would have been. If that's you: DSO, today.
The free calculator works out which period is yours — 60, 30, 15, or none — from your admission and travel history. Henry handles the follow-ups and cites the regulation. Three free questions a month with a free account; please leave out student names and ID numbers.
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FAQ
Does my grace period start when my visa expires?
No. The visa stamp is an entry document; its expiration neither starts nor ends a grace period. The clock starts at your program end date or your OPT end date. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(v); 214.1(m)(1)
Who still gets 60 days after September 15, 2026?
Transition students — in the U.S. on that date, maintaining F-1, admitted for duration of status, no departure and re-entry since. Everyone admitted under the fixed-period system gets 30 days, built into the I-94. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1), 214.2(f)(5)(v)
Does getting laid off during OPT start my grace period?
No. A layoff starts your unemployment-day count. The grace period begins when your authorized OPT period ends — the EAD end date.
Can I work during the grace period?
No. Even a timely I-539 filed during the grace period permits study only, not work, while it is pending. 8 CFR 214.2(f)(7)(iii)(B)
Can I leave the U.S. and come back during my grace period?
No — departure ends the grace period for re-entry on that record. And separately, any trip abroad after September 15, 2026 converts a transition student's future 60 days to 30. 8 CFR 214.1(m)(1)