On November 26, 2021, U.S. President Biden issued a Proclamation that suspends boarding a flight and/or entry to the United States by non-U.S. citizens who have been physically present in any of the following countries within the immediately prior 14 days:
- Botswana
- Eswatini
- Lesotho
- Malawi
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- South Africa
- Zimbabwe
The effective date of this Proclamation is at 12:01 am Eastern U.S. Standard Time on November 29, 2021. The Proclamation will remain in effect until terminated by the U.S. President.
The restrictions are a response to the identification of a new COVID “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization.
The full text of the Proclamation may be viewed here.
This Proclamation does NOT apply to the following:
- U.S. citizens
- any lawful permanent resident (Green Card holder) of the U.S.
- any noncitizen national of the United States;
- any noncitizen who is the spouse of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident;
- any noncitizen who is the parent or legal guardian of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, provided that the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident is unmarried and under the age of 21;
- any noncitizen who is the sibling of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, provided that both are unmarried and under the age of 21;
- any noncitizen who is the child, foster child, or ward of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, or who is a prospective adoptee seeking to enter the United States pursuant to the IR-4 or IH-4 visa classifications;
- plus additional identified exemptions (please read the text of the Proclamation for the full list of exempt individuals
Under the proclamation, any individual who has been physically present in one of the designated countries within the past 14 days would need to travel to another country, not subject to the restrictions, and be physically present in that other country for a period of at least 14 days, before they would be allowed to enter the U.S.
A statement by U.S. President Joe Biden on the Omicron COVID-19 Variant can be viewed here.
To date, no “National Interest Exemption” (NIE) to this new Proclamation has been designated for student (F visa) or exchange visitor (J visa) status holders. While we have seen NIE designated for past travel bans/restrictions for F and J visa holders, usually they have not been designated until some time after the initial implementation of the restrictions. There is no guarantee an NIE will be designated. The MIT ISO and ISchO will be sure to notify the community when updates are issued by USDHS, USDOS, or the White House.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has confirmed that all NIEs granted under previous Proclamations are void with respect to the November 26, 2021 Proclamation. This means that any NIEs issued prior to the November 26, 2021 Proclamation are no longer valid.
Please do not hesitate to contact an advisor in MIT ISO or ISchO with any questions.
Separate from this announcement on the new Proclamation, international students and scholars are advised to review additional guidance on travel provided by the MIT International Students Office (ISO) “Travel Guidance - Fall/Winter Break 2021-2022” here (issued 11/19/2021) and guidance provided by the MIT International Scholars Office.