News & Announcements

On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued an updated policy memorandum pertaining to 19 “high-risk” countries, effective immediately. As a result, USCIS is:   Placing a “hold” […]

On December 3, 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced that starting December 15, 2025, H-1B and H-4 visa applicants will be subject to a review of their online presence as part of their visa application process at U.S. Embassies/Consulates abroad.

On September 19, 2025, a Presidential Proclamation, Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers, instituted a $100,000 fee for certain H-1B petitions effective September 21, 2025. USCIS provided further clarification and guidance on October 20, 2025, and what we know to date is summarized below. Updates will continue to be posted for the MIT community when/if USCIS releases additional information.

On October 30, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published an Interim Final Rule ending the automatic extension of certain employment authorization documents (EAD cards).

Effective immediately, this means that for certain application types, employment authorization (EAD) will not be automatically extended beyond the current EAD end date, while an application for extension is pending at USCIS.

If members of the U.S. Congress do not pass legislation to keep the U.S. government funded beyond Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 11:59pm Eastern U.S. time, certain government agencies will be affected. In the past, units within some agencies that were fee-funded or considered “essential” continued operations. Others closed when the government shut down.

On September 6, 2025 the U.S. Department of State issued an announcement that directs nonimmigrant visa applicants to schedule their visa interview appointments at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence, with certain limited exceptions.

The following update was sent by ISchO on the evening of Saturday, September 20, 2025, to all MIT international scholars in H-1B status or with pending MIT H-1B petitions:

The Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services issued a memorandum late today, Saturday, September 20, clarifying the application of the Presidential Proclamation published yesterday, Friday, September 19, 2025.

The following message was sent by the International Scholars Office on the morning of Saturday, September 20, 2025, to all MIT international scholars in H-1B status or with pending MIT H-1B petitions:

On Friday, September 19, 2025, President Trump published a Proclamation regarding H-1B worker petitions. Effective Sunday, September 21 at 12:01 am US ET, the rule states that entry to the US by H-1B workers will be restricted, unless the employer’s H-1B petition was submitted with a new/additional filing fee.

On August 28, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a rule that would eliminate “Duration of Status (D/S)” for individuals holding F, J, and I nonimmigrant status. At present, this is only a proposed rule. Nothing new is in effect, and there is nothing for you to do at this time. Below is more information about the proposal.

On August 19, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it has expanded the types of benefit requests that receive social media vetting, adding reviews for “anti-American” and “antisemitic” activity to that vetting, stating that such activity will be “an overwhelmingly negative factor in any applicable case involving USCIS discretionary analysis.” 

In early July 2025, the U.S. Department of State began making changes to visas for international students and scholars from the 54 countries listed below. The changes apply to the visas commonly used at MIT. The specific categories affected vary by country as detailed in DOS’ visa reciprocity tables. 

US Department of State Updates Visa Interview Waiver Eligibility for Most Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants

Effective September 2, 2025, the US Department of State will significantly reduce the types of visa applicants eligible for a waiver of interview at US Consulates. Most nonimmigrant visa applicants will be required to schedule an appointment and undergo an in-person interview with a US consulate officer as part of the application process for both new entry visas and renewal of visas of the same visa type.