International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) is closely monitoring immigration updates, and we have collected critical immigration updates in one place. It is very important that you independently stay aware of official updates from the Federal government. In addition, this is not a substitute for qualified legal counsel. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns.
Notes on Travel
Critical, please review all updates on current travel bans and restrictions before engaging in travel. Regular travel requirements continue to exist. We have guides below on travelling requirements:
USCIS page on Travel while a Permanent Resident
USCIS Places Adjudication Hold on Benefits Applications Filed by or for Individuals from Travel Ban Countries released January 13, 2026.
A pair of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Memoranda describe a hold that USCIS has placed a hold on adjudication of pending benefit requests submitted by applicants whose citizenship or country of birth are from the countries identified in two travel-ban proclamations: Presidential Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025 and Presidential Proclamation 10988 of December 16, 2025.
We understand this to include typical petitions filed by and for individual in higher education including: Form I-765 filed for Optional Practical Training, Form I-539 filed to change nonimmigrant status, Form I-129 filed by an H-1B petitioner requesting extension of an H-1B.
Note, the administration has stated this a temporary pause in processing and not a suspension of approval.
Presidential Proclamation Expands Travel Ban and Entry Restrictions released December 16, 2025 effective at 12:01am (EST) January 1, 2026.
President Trump has issued a presidential proclamation restricting and banning the entry of certain foreign nationals to the United States.
Entry into the United States for nationals of the following countries as immigrants or non-immigrants is banned with some exceptions:
Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burma, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos. Libya, Mali, Niger, Palestinian Authority, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Yemen.
Entry into the United States for nationals of the following countries as immigrants or non-immigrants on the following B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas status is suspended and consular officers are instructed to reduce the issuance of new visas in these categories to foreign nationals from these countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d ‘Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Entry into United States for nationals of Turkmenistan as immigrants is suspended.
Scope and Limitations
As per the proclamation Section 6(a), this proclamation only applies to:
Foreign nationals, “outside the United States on the applicable effective date of this proclamation.”
Foreign nationals, “[who] do not have a valid visa on the applicable effective date of this proclamation.”
As per the proclamation Section 6(b), a series of exceptions exist:
(i) Any lawful permanent resident of the United States;
(ii) Any dual national of a country designated under sections 2, 3, 4, or 5 of this proclamation when the individual is traveling on a passport issued by a country not so designated;
(iii) Any foreign national traveling with a valid nonimmigrant visa in the following classifications: A-1, A-2, C-2, C-3, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, NATO-1, NATO‑2, NATO-3, NATO-4, NATO-5, or NATO-6;
(iv) Any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other major sporting event as determined by the Secretary of State;
(v) Special Immigrant Visas for United States Government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D); and
(vi) immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
Who to Contact for Help
Please contact Anna Kholod at akholod@utk.edu with detailed information about your situation.
Please contact Cheryl Pile at cpile@utk.edu with detailed information about your situation.
Please contact Dave Lawson at dplawson@utk.edu with detailed information about your situation.
Please contact Dave Lawson at dplawson@utk.edu with detailed information about your situation.
Please contact Morgan Owens at mowens48@utk.edu with detailed information about your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, Permanent Residents are excepted from all restrictions as per Section 6(b)(i).
Yes, as per Section 6(a)(ii) this does not apply to foreign nationals with a valid visa. Please note, we still recommend that you carefully follow our travel guides listed below.
No, as per Section 8(c) visa revocation is not part of this proclamation.
No, this does not apply to persons already inside the U.S. per Section 6(a)(i). Note, there may be additional factors impacting petitions adjudicated by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). We do not have further clarification at this time.
We are not completely certain as to how pending visa cases will be handled. As per the proclamation we believe that pending visas will be denied based on the order to consular officers.
Qualified immigration counsel is critical. If you are not sponsored by the University of Tennessee, we recommend that you seek an advisement from an American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) attorney. You can find one in your area using the Find an Immigration Lawyer search.
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not Accept Self-Submitted Photos released December 12, 2025.
USCIS has stated that it will no longer accept self-submitted photos. The exact implications for individuals submitting forms with photos (e.g. form I-765) is still unclear. It may require biometric appointments for individuals required to submit photos. This appointments would be requested by USCIS as part of the approval process.
Department of State (DOS) Expands Screening and Vetting of H-1B and H-4 Visa Applications released December 3, 2025 effective December 15, 2025.
DOS has announced that enhanced vetting of applicants for H-1B and H-4 visas will be conducted. This will likely include placing visa applicants in 221(g) administrative processing.
Presidential Proclamation Restricts Entry of H-1B Workers Unless Employer Pays $100K Fee released September 19, 2025.
President Trump has released a Proclamation that restricts entry of H-1B specialty occupation workers unless employers pay a $100,000 fee per petition, with limited national-interest exemptions, for a one-year period.
October 27, 2025 update, USCIS has clarified in an update that the fee only applies, “to new H-1B petitions filed at or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025, on behalf of beneficiaries who are outside the United States and do not have a valid H-1B visa.” This means that petitions filed for persons inside the U.S. are not impacted. USCIS has also provided guidance on the process for requesting an exemption in the national interest. Please consult with ISSS to determine the correct path for your sponsorship.
Critical Update, at 5:26pm on September 20th, a memo was signed by Joseph B. Edlow (Director of USCIS) stating that the Proclamation does not impact the ability, “… of any current visa holder to travel to or from the United States.” We recommend that all current H-1B holders traveling with a valid visa have this memo saved to present at customs.
Critical Update, based on the FAQ released by USCIS on September 21, 2025, we are proceeding with H-1B extensions.
Important, it is unclear how this impacts H-1B status sponsored by cap-exempt institutions, such as the University of Tennessee.
Important, our recommendation is that all persons sponsored for H-1B status by the University of Tennessee suspend international travel unless consultation has been made with ISSS. Consultations can be made using our Bookings page here.
Department of State (DOS) Announces Requirement of Visa Interviews in Country of Nationality or Residence released September 6, 2025.
DOS has announced that effective immediately applicants for U.S. non-immigrant visas should schedule their appointments in their country of nationality or residence. This also applies to immigrant visa requests. A notation on the release states that, “existing nonimmigrant visa appointments will generally not be cancelled.”
United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to consider Anti-Americanism in Immigrant Benefit Requests released August 19, 2025.
USCIS has stated that requests receiving social media vetting will be also reviewed for anti-American activity. Any anti-American activity will be considered “overwhelmingly negative” as part of the analysis.
Department of State (DOS) Revises Interview Waiver Policy released July 25, 2025.
Effective September 2, 2025, DOS will no longer allow interview waivers for F and J visas.
Executive and Regulatory Actions
NAFSA Page on Executive and Regulatory Actions Under the Second Trump Administration
The NAFSA: Association of International Educators has collected updates that are relevant to international educators, students, and scholars. Updates are organized by relevant area.