Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced it will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F and J nonimmigrant classifications, to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States.
To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all their social media profiles to “public.”
Resumption of Visa Appointment Scheduling
On June 18, 2025, the U.S. State Department authorized U.S. visa issuing posts overseas to resume scheduling F and J nonimmigrant visa applications. Visa applicants should check the website of the relevant U.S. Embassy or Consulate for appointment availability.
New Visa Appointment Pause
As of May 27, 2025, new visa interview appointments have been paused while the Department of State reviews and expands social media screening for these applicants. The pause is temporary and does not affect previously scheduled interviews. If you are currently outside of the United States, require a new F-1 or J-1 visa and have not been able to schedule your appointment, we encourage you to check the U.S. State Department website as well as the website of the U.S. Embassy or Consulate where you plan to apply for the most up to date information and to schedule the appointment as soon as one is available, or to obtain an Interview Waiver.
The White House Presidential Proclamation Restricting Entry of Foreign Nationals and U.S. Department of State’s Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals
The U.S. is fully or partially suspending entry for and visa issuance for nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela, which may affect international students and their dependents who are:
- are outside the United States on the applicable effective date of this proclamation; and
- do not have a valid visa on the applicable effective date of this proclamation. (June 9, 2025).
International students and their dependents from the affected countries, even those outside the U.S., who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to the Proclamation. No visas issued before June 9, 2025, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation.
Special Student Relief (SSR) for Students in F-1 Status
Special Student Relief (SSR) is the suspension of certain regulatory requirements by the secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for an F‑1 student from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances. Regulatory requirements that may be suspended or altered for an F-1 student include: duration of status, full course of study and off-campus employment eligibility.
SSR applies when emergent circumstances occur. Emergent circumstances are world events that affect F-1 students from a particular region and create significant financial hardships, such as but not limited to:
- Natural disasters.
- Wars and military conflicts.
- National or international financial crises.
DHS issues a Federal Register (FR) notice when the secretary declares that an event constitutes emergent circumstances. You may be eligible for SSR if you:
- Are the citizen of a country specified in an FR notice.
- Have lawfully resided in the United States for the dates indicated in the FR notice.
- Have reported on time to your designated school official (DSO) and been enrolled in an SEVP-certified school since the event.
- Are currently maintaining F-1 status.
- Are experiencing severe economic hardship.
Your DSO must certify in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) that you meet all the above requirements to qualify for SSR. Your DSO should note any specifics, as SEVP recommends, in the remarks section of your Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” You must first file a Form I-765, “Application for Employment Authorization,” with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and receive authorization before you can begin off-campus employment. USCIS may grant off-campus SSR employment authorization to an F-1 nonimmigrant student for the duration of the Federal Register notice validity period. This employment authorization may not extend past the student’s academic program end date. USCIS may issue employment authorization documents for the duration of the Federal Register notice, which is typically an 18-month validity period.
Special Student Relief (SSR) for Students in J-1 Status from Ukraine
In accordance with the General Provisions of the Exchange Visitor Program regulations, the Department's Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs waives and modifies certain regulatory requirements with respect to a temporary educational and cultural exchange program established pursuant to an arrangement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Ukraine. This arrangement allows the Department to extend Special Student Relief to eligible Ukrainian students in the United States on J–1 visas to help mitigate the adverse impact on them resulting from the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022.
The Government of the United States and the Government of Ukraine have extended with immediate effect Special Student Relief (SSR) for J-1 exchange visitors in the College and University Student category - see Special Student Relief Notification: extension of temporary waiver and modification of certain regulatory requirements.
Under the original SSR arrangement, eligible Ukrainian college and university students on J-1 visas who have continuously resided in the United States since April 11, 2022, could carry lighter course loads and work full- or part- time, on or off campus, until October 23, 2023. These students continue to be eligible for SSR now under the extension until April 19, 2025.
In addition, under the SSR extension, eligible Ukrainian college and university students on J-1 visas who have continuously resided in the United States since August 16, 2023, also may carry lighter course loads and work full- or part-time, on or off campus, until April 19, 2025.
The extension date for SSR is consistent with the Department of Homeland Security’s extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine.
Countries currently designated for SSR:
Select the country link for additional specific country information.
Please note that SSR and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) are different. TPS may be offered to various visa classifications, when applicable, including F-1 students. However, SSR, when applicable, is offered only to eligible F-1 students.
For detailed information about SSR, please see Special Student Relief.
Contact your ISSS Advisor if you are interested in applying for Special Student Relief.
Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
The Secretary of Homeland Security may designate a foreign country for TPS due to conditions in the country that temporarily prevent the country's nationals from returning safely, or in certain circumstances, where the country is unable to handle the return of its nationals adequately. USCIS may grant TPS to eligible nationals of certain countries (or parts of countries), who are already in the United States. Eligible individuals without nationality who last resided in the designated country may also be granted TPS.
The Secretary may designate a country for TPS due to the following temporary conditions in the country:
- Ongoing armed conflict (such as civil war)
- An environmental disaster (such as earthquake or hurricane), or an epidemic
- Other extraordinary and temporary conditions
During a designated period, individuals who are TPS beneficiaries or who are found preliminarily eligible for TPS upon initial review of their cases (prima facie eligible):
- Are not removable from the United States
- Can obtain an employment authorization document (EAD)
- May be granted travel authorization
Once granted TPS, an individual also cannot be detained by DHS on the basis of his or her immigration status in the United States.
TPS is a temporary benefit that does not lead to lawful permanent resident status or give any other immigration status. However, registration for TPS does not prevent you from:
- Applying for nonimmigrant status
- Filing for adjustment of status based on an immigrant petition
- Applying for any other immigration benefit or protection for which you may be eligible
Countries currently designated for TPS:
Select the country link for additional specific country information.
Please note that to be granted any other immigration benefit you must still meet all the eligibility requirements for that particular benefit. An application for TPS does not affect an application for asylum or any other immigration benefit and vice versa. Denial of an application for asylum or any other immigration benefit does not affect your ability to register for TPS, although the grounds of denial of that application may also lead to denial of TPS.
For detailed information about TPS, please see Temporary Protected Status.
On November 11, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the Continuation of Documentation for Beneficiaries of Temporary Protected Status Designations for El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sudan, Honduras, and Nepal through June 30, 2024. Beneficiaries under the existing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designations for El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Nepal, the 2011 designation of Haiti, and the 2013 designation of Sudan will retain their TPS while the preliminary injunction in Ramos and the Bhattarai orders remain in effect, provided that their TPS is not withdrawn because of individual ineligibility.
Contact your ISSS Advisor if you are interested in applying for Temporary Protected Status.
January 26, 2023
Memorandum on Extending and Expanding Eligibility for Deferred Enforced Departure for Certain Hong Kong Residents
The Department of Homeland Security has announced an automatic two-year extension of Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) for individuals benefiting from Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) for Hong Kong. Hong Kong DED-related EADs expiring on February 5, 2023 have been automatically extended to February 5, 2025.
April 27, 2021
New U.S. Domestic Air Travel ID Requirements Take Effect May 3, 2023
Beginning May 3, 2023, every air traveler 18 years of age and older will need a REAL ID-compliant driver’s license, state-issued enhanced driver’s license, or another acceptable form of ID to fly within the United States. If you use a state-issued driver's license or identification card when traveling domestically:
- The state of issuance must meet REAL ID requirements. REAL ID-compliant cards are marked with a star at the top of the card. If you’re not sure, contact your state driver’s license agency on how to obtain a REAL ID compliant card; or
- You must present an alternative form of identification, such as a valid passport or other acceptable documentation, to board a domestic flight.
To date, most U.S. states have either complied with the REAL ID Act or have received an extension. This includes the State of Florida which is compliant. For information on how to obtain a Driver’s License or ID in Florida, go to Obtain a Driver's License.
For information by state, including where to obtain a REAL ID, visit the DHS REAL ID website and click your state on the map.
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