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 Ends 540-Day Automatic EAD Extension

October 30th, 2025

US Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) announced an interim final rule that ends the 540-day automatic extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for specific employment authorization categories (for example: applicants for US permanent residence, asylum etc.). Before this interim final rule, noncitizens with EADs in certain categories received an automatic... More

USCIS Publishes Additional Guidance Regarding $100,000 H-1B Fee

October 20th, 2025

USCIS published additional guidance offering clarification that the fee is intended for new petitions submitted after September 21, 2025 for employees outside the US as it exempts H-1B petitions approved for an extension of stay, amendment, or change of status – including change of employer petitions. Who is subject to the... More

Reminders to Reflect Binary Sex Marker on US Federal Applications and Forms

October 17th, 2025

Various US federal systems and forms continue to be updated by agencies in accordance with the January 20, 2025, Executive Order Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government. This EO mandates that federal departments recognize gender strictly as a male-female binary determined by biological... More

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 aims to tighten eligibility, increase oversight of employers, and limit third-party placements. The proposed rule seeks to change the H-1B lottery for cap subject employers to favor... More

Presidential Proclamation Regarding H-1 Fees and Travel

September 20th, 2025

See updated news on this topic. 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... 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

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