Immigration-Related Actions Under the Second Trump Administration

This page highlights executive orders, policy, legislative and regulatory changes enacted by the second Trump administration that affect visa or immigration processing and increase travel risk for our international student and scholar community. The “news” section is a chronological listing of important information or go to related links in the sidebar under Additional Resources. As always, we encourage members of our community to connect with a ISSO team member with any questions.

News

New Proposed Rule Seeks To Increase H-1 Wages

March 27th, 2026

US Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) published a proposed rule today entitled Improving Wage Protections for the Temporary and Permanent Employment of Certain Foreign Nationals in the United States. DOL seeks to revise the methodology used to determine prevailing wages in the H-1 B, H-1B1, E-3... More

B-1 Visa Bond Pilot Program Expanded Again

March 18th, 2026

The US Department of State (DOS) will add 12 more countries (Cambodia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Grenada, Lesotho, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, and Tunisia ) to the B-1/B-2 Visa Bond Pilot Program, bringing the total countries in the pilot to 50 effective April 2, 2026. Nationals of subject... More

Visa Processing Disruptions Due to US Military Operations Involving Iran

March 6th, 2026

Recent geopolitical developments have prompted the U.S. Department of State to issue a Worldwide Security Caution following U.S. military operations involving Iran. As security conditions evolve across parts of the Middle East, several U.S. embassies and consulates have temporarily closed or limited operations. These developments may affect visa interview scheduling, More

DOS Pauses Immigrant Visa Processing for Nationals of 75 Countries

January 14th, 2026

The US Department of State announced that they will pause immigrant visa processing effective January 21, 2026 for nationals from 75 countries citing concerns that some of these nationals could require financial or public charge assistance upon entering the US. It is important to understand that an immigrant visa approves... More

USCIS Announces Application Pause for Increased Vetting for Nationals of Travel Ban Countries

January 9th, 2026

In addition to a travel ban, USCIS announced a pause to the processing of applications submitted to USCIS for changes, extensions and benefits of status from nationals of travel ban countries to increase vetting before final adjudication. Examples of common USCIS applications include, but are not limited to, applications for... More

Final Rule on Weighted Selection of H-1B Cap-Subject Registrants

January 7th, 2026

The Department of Homeland Security published a final rule on December 29, 2025 entitled Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions which will become effective on February 27, 2026. The new weighted system based on salary levels will replace the current random selection process... More

B-1 Visa Bond Pilot Program Expanded

January 5th, 2026

The Department of State (DOS) published a temporary final rule on August 5, 2025, that established a pilot program to test a $5K, $10K, or $15K bond system for select B‑1/B‑2 visitor visa applicants from countries with high overstay rates or other conditions. This list was recently expanded to new... More

US Entry Ban Expanded to Additional Countries

December 17th, 2025

President Trump signed a new proclamation that updates and expands the current entry/travel ban effective from 12:01am on January 1, 2026 through December 16, 2026. This expanded ban will continue to suspend visa processing and entry to the US for international students and scholars/employees from the countries referenced below if... More

USCIS Will Stop Accepting Self-Submitted Photos

December 16th, 2025

USCIS announced on December 12, 2025 that it has updated is policy on photographs and will no longer accept self-submitted photos and will limit when USCIS-taken photos may be reused in benefit requests. This means that applicants for USCIS benefits that require a photo will likely be scheduled to attend an... More

US Federal Agencies Expand Social Media Screening

December 10th, 2025

USDOS announced consular posts will begin screening social media for all H-1 and H-4 visa applicants effective December 15, 2025 which will further delay visa appointment scheduling and visa processing. Social media screening has been in place for F-1, F-2, J-1 and J-1 visa applications since June of 2025 and... More

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