On January 1, 2026 USCIS issued a memorandum expanding and clarifying its adjudication hold policy for applicants from countries affected by U.S. entry restrictions PP-10949 and PP-10998. The new memo requires:

• Processing holds on all USCIS benefit applications
• Re-review of previously approved applications adjudicated on or after January 20, 2021
• Continued pause on all asylum applications, regardless of nationality

Who is impacted? While the travel restrictions only applied to nationals outside the U.S. without a valid visa on the effective date, note that this USCIS policy applies to all nationals, regardless of location and visa validity on the date of the memo. Impacted individuals are those born in, nationals of, or carrying travel documents from:

• Afghanistan, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville (The Republic of Congo), Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gabon, The Gambia, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Palestinian Authority, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Which USCIS applications are affected? The pause applies to all applications apart from the very limited exceptions articulated within the memo (for example, some I-765 categories, I-90, N-600). Of note, no exceptions are included for applications commonly used in higher education, such as the I-765 filed for OPT or STEM OPT, the I-539 filed to change nonimmigrant status, etc. These applications are expected to be impacted.

What should I expect? You are still eligible to submit applications to USCIS at this time. The processing hold applies only to the final adjudication of benefit applications. Cases may be received and processed up to—but not including—final adjudication. Please prepare for extended processing delays and note that this pause does not have a published end date. Also, prepare for the possibility of additional review measures, such as Requests for Evidence (RFE), biometrics appointments, and/or interviews.

If you are an impacted student or scholar and have questions, please contact your OIS Advisor.

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a new proclamation under Executive Order 14161 limiting entry to the U.S. for certain immigrant and non-immigrant visa holders effective at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026. This updates the earlier proclamation on restricted entry that was announced on June 4, 2025.  The new proclamation adds Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria as well as individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-Issued travel documents to full restrictions on travel for immigrants and non-immigrants.

Additional countries were added to the partial travel ban with the suspension on issuance of new B, F, M, and J visas: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

These travel restrictions do not impact students and scholars with multiple-entry visas issued prior to January 1, 2026, nor does it apply to lawful permanent residents and certain other categories. 

OIS contacted all impacted students and scholars directly on December 17, 2025. 

The U.S. Department of State periodically updates its visa reciprocity tables, sometimes reducing visa validity and number of entries. Given these unannounced changes, it’s important to refer to the Department of State’s visa reciprocity table for the most up-to-date visa validity details for your country. A summary of known, impacted countries is available from NAFSA: Association for International Educators. Note that any visa already issued retains its current status and validity.

On September 6, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced a new policy requiring that non-immigrant visa applicants, including F and J visa applicants, make visa appointments in their country of nationality or residence. Nationals of countries where the U.S. government is not conducting routine visa services must apply at a designated embassy or consulate, unless their residence is in another country. Please monitor existing appointments closely for any changes and check the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where you need to apply for further details.

On September 18, 2025 the U.S. Department of State announced an update to their July 2025 guidance about no longer granting consular interview waivers for most visa categories (including F and J visa applicants). All nonimmigrant visa applications will generally require an in-person interview with a consular officer. This may further strain visa appointment availability and those requiring visa renewals should book visa appointments as soon as possible. Please keep this information in mind for upcoming school breaks and travel plans.

USCIS is expanding their vetting and investigation processes this Fall. In August, USCIS announced that it will include social media screening (reviewing for “anti-American” and “antisemitic” activity) in their review of additional benefit requests, including the Form I-539 (change of status, reinstatement to F-1 status, etc.) and Form I-765 (OPT, STEM OPT Extension, J-2 work authorization, etc.). On September 4th, 2025, USCIS announced that it is now authorized to hire special agents who can investigate immigration-related crimes. As a result, employers and institutions may experience closer scrutiny and direct contact from USCIS investigators. Note that the eligibility rules and standards for immigration benefits have not changed.

As a reminder, new entry restrictions were announced back in June that suspended entry to the U.S. for individuals who did not have visas issued prior to June 9, 2025. These travel restrictions do not impact students and scholars with multiple-entry visas issued prior to June 9th, nor does it apply to lawful permanent residents and certain other categories. 

A full entry restriction was placed on twelve countries: Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Additional countries are subject to a partial travel ban, with the suspension of new B, F, M, and J visas. Impacted countries include Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

OIS contacted all impacted students and scholars directly on June 5, 2025.

A new “Visa Integrity Fee” was included in H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21), the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” to be paid upon issuance of any nonimmigrant visa. Those who apply for but are denied a visa will not be charged the visa integrity fee. The fee is expected to start at $250 USD, and is to be paid in addition to the “machine readable visa” (MRV) application fee and any reciprocity fees visa applicants must already pay. NOTE: it is not yet possible to pay the visa integrity fee. OIS will update our Travel page as more details become available about effective dates and fee processing. Students who need to renew their visa should keep this additional cost in mind if planning travel at winter break or next summer.

The U.S. Department of State announced that consulates may resume new visa appointments for F, M and J applicants. If you have been unable to make a visa appointment, please check your consulate daily for new appointment availability. If no appointments are available before classes start, you must make an appointment for the first available slot, then follow the consulate’s instructions for requesting an expedited appointment. 

Under updated guidance, the U.S. Department of State is now conducting a “comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence” for visa applicants, whether it’s a first-time application or renewal. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, summarizes the process for this expanded screening and vetting of F, M and J visa applicants:

• At the end of the visa interview, all F, M or J visa applicants who are otherwise eligible for the visa will be initially refused under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) section 221(g), commonly known as “administrative processing” so that posts can review the applicants’ social media.
• Consular officers are instructed to review the entire online presence of applicants, not just social media. Consulates are instructing applicants to set their social media accounts to “public” to facilitate this screening process.
• Once the screening process is complete, and assuming no adverse information was found, the applicant will be notified that they have been approved and given further instructions on receiving the visa stamp.