President Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation on May 29 that may affect certain nationals from the People’s Republic of China seeking entry to the US in F or J visa status to pursue graduate study or research at MIT.
It is not yet clear precisely who will be affected, but MIT is closely monitoring this situation and will post updates to the community as they become available. The proclamation could be extended to some Chinese nationals currently in the United States with F or J visas.
The proclamation, effective June 1, 2020, suspends entry to the US if an individual is connected to an entity that “implements or supports” the government of China’s “military-civil fusion strategy.” An individual is considered to have a connection to such an entity if he or she has been funded by, employed by, studied or researched at, or on behalf of the entity. Under the proclamation, the Secretary of State will determine which entities are covered, and we will provide more information once the government has identified the entities.
Currently, the proclamation does NOT apply to individuals inside the U.S. pursuing study or research in F or J status; HOWEVER, the proclamation states that the US Secretary of State will review and determine if current visa holders subject to the proclamation conditions should have their visas revoked.
The proclamation does NOT apply to a student seeking to pursue undergraduate study.
The proclamation does NOT apply to U.S. Citizens, U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders), the spouse of a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident, and other special categories as listed in the proclamation.
Read the full text of the Proclamation.
MIT is working closely with peer institutions, higher education associations, and other partners on this issue. We understand the concerns and uncertainty that these changes in U.S. immigration policy create as you pursue your work, research or academic program at MIT. We will provide more clarity as definitive information is issued by the relevant government agencies.