News & Announcements

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. 

The U.S. Department of State has announced that they will resume scheduling entry visa interviews for student and scholar visa statuses (F, J, M) at U.S. Embassies/Consulates abroad soon following the implementation of “…comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.” 

On June 4, 2025, the White House released a Presidential Proclamation titled Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.

An interim final rule, Alien Registration Form and Evidence of Registration, was published by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, on March 12, 2025 and will become effective April 11, 2025.  This rule provides details regarding who and how certain individuals must “register” or “re-register” with the U.S. Government to comply with the statutory alien registration and fingerprinting provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).

We are writing to remind you of some important government requirements as you maintain your valid immigration status. These are routine requirements, but worth a reminder as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is increasing its enforcement efforts.

Dear international students and scholars,

As you know, we continually monitor U.S. government policy for any changes that could affect members of our MIT community. Although this note is not a response to any specific change in immigration rules, it reflects our general concern about potential changes to rules and evolving enforcement priorities that may already be underway.

If members of the U.S. Congress do not pass legislation to keep the U.S. government funded beyond Friday, March 14, 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.

If the government does shut down, depending on the length of the shutdown and volume of applications submitted, government agencies may have a backlog of work to process when they reopen.

Feb 27 to Mar 3, 2025

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