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 sections 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

DHS Seeks to Replace D/S with a Fixed Expiration Date

September 29th, 2025

Update: USCIS received more than 34,800 public comments to this proposed rule in advance of the deadline of September 29, 2025. Please see the official comment letter from Boston University signed by both President Giliam and Provost Waters in opposition to the proposed rule changes. Several university offices will continue... More

DHS Seeks to Change Cap Subject Lottery System to Favor Higher Paid Employees

September 25th, 2025

USDHS published a proposed rule entitled Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions on September 24, 2025 that seeks to change the H-1B lottery for cap subject employers to favor higher paid employees. The proposed rule process gives greater odds of lottery selection for both... More

Presidential Proclamation Regarding H-1 Fees and Travel

September 20th, 2025

The President of the United States issued a Proclamation Restriction On Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers restricting the entry of H-1 nonimmigrants effective Sunday, September 21, 2025, unless they demonstrate proof of a new $100,000 fee payment. White House FAQs and clarifying guidance from USCIS indicate that the travel restrictions and... More

Visa Applicants Must Apply in Country of Citizenship or Residence

September 8th, 2025

The US Department of State (USDOS) announced on September 6, 2025 that effective immediately, US visa applicants should apply at a consular post in their country of citizenship or country of residence or face increased denials if they apply in a third country. New guidance states that visa applicants for... More

B-1 Visa Bond Pilot Program Announced

August 8th, 2025

On August 5, 2025 the Department of State (DOS) published a temporary final rule that establishes a one-year 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. DOS also published a list of... More

USDOS Will Require Interview for Most Nonimmigrant Visa Renewals

July 29th, 2025

The US Department of State announced limitations to the criteria for a waiver of the in-person visa appointment when applying to renew a visa. Effective September 2, 2025, nearly all visa applicants will be required to schedule an interview as part of the visa renewal process. All nonimmigrant visa applicants, More

DOS Resumes Scheduling Visa Interviews

June 24th, 2025

According to media reports, the Department of State (DOS) resumed scheduling visa interview appointments on June 18th after a 3 week pause. During this time, DOS disseminated instructions to consular posts about how to review the social media presence of the visa applicant along with standard eligibility criteria when adjudicating... More

Possible Expansion of the Travel (US Entry) Ban

June 17th, 2025

Several news outlets are reporting that an internal Department of State (DOS) memo issued to consular posts indicated that 36 more countries will be given 60 days to meet the administration's benchmarks and requirements or face either a partial or full entry ban similar to the ban on 19 countries... More

US Entry Banned for Nationals of Certain Countries

June 5th, 2025

President Trump announced a ban on entry to the US of foreign nationals from certain countries in certain nonimmigrant categories who are outside the US effective at 12:01 am EST June 9, 2025, who do not have a valid US visa. See the Proclamation and a White House Fact Sheet... More

US DOS Announces Additional Vetting of Visas for Chinese Students

May 29th, 2025

The US Department of State (DOS) has issued a press release stating they may work with the Department of Homeland Security to revoke visas for some Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in critical fields. DOS states they intend to revise visa... More

Older