Effective June 26, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has required U.S. consulates to expand social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants (students and exchange visitors) before issuing visas allowing them to...more
On June 4, 2025, the White House issued two presidential proclamations that impose new constraints on visa issuance and travel to the United States. These actions are expected to impact multinational employers, academic...more
F-1 status is reserved for individuals coming to the United States to pursue full-time study at an accredited college, university, seminary, high school/elementary school, or in a language training program. Both F-1 and M-1...more
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently announced a sweeping new directive: the United States will begin “aggressively” revoking visas of Chinese students, alleged to be in any way affiliated with the Chinese Communist...more
On May 27, 2025, the Department of State issued a cable instructing U.S. Embassies and Consulates to pause scheduling new visa appointments for foreign nationals seeking to obtain student and exchange visitor visas (F, M, and...more
In recent weeks the Department of State (DOS) has taken steps to revoke visas and terminate the status of international students who have criminal infractions and/or who have engaged in activism. In light of this intense...more
Companies sponsoring certain foreign national workers may now be able to take advantage of an additional way to receive premium processing of petitions to support their immigration goals. Last month, U.S. Citizenship and...more
On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued updated guidance on “National Interest Exceptions for Certain Travelers from China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, Schengen Area, United Kingdom, and Ireland,” which should...more
The US Department of State announced on February 10 that students possessing valid F-1 and M-1 visas who are seeking admission to the United States from the Schengen area countries, the United Kingdom, and Ireland no longer...more
COVID-19 has caused significant disruptions in every aspect of our daily lives. Several policies have been enacted, affecting millions of foreign national workers, both in the U.S. and abroad, along with the businesses that...more
The Department of State has recently announced that U.S. Embassies and Consulates will begin a phased resumption of processing routine nonimmigrant and immigrant visas. Such cases will include travelers with urgent travel...more
Yesterday, the federal government agreed to rescind in full its July 6, 2020 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) modification, and revert to the original emergency COVID-19–related international student guidance it...more
There have been many changes to immigration processes and procedures in the United States as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Holland & Knight's sixth installment of alerts focusing on immigration under...more
Yesterday, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to the temporary exemptions that had been granted to nonimmigrant students studying in the United States. F-1 and M-1 students will not be...more
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) released guidance on 9 March 2020 regarding potential procedural adaptions that SEVP-certified schools may take to address COVID-19. On behalf of the Department of Homeland...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a revised final policy memorandum, "Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants," with an immediate effective date of August 9, 2018. With the...more
USCIS has implemented a new Policy Memorandum affecting foreign national students (F-1 and M-1) and exchange visitors (J-1). The memo, “Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants,” became effective on August...more
On May 10, 2018, USCIS issued a policy memorandum that updates the current policy on the calculation of unlawful presence for certain nonimmigrants. “Unlawful presence” can occur when an individual is physically in the United...more
In a Policy Memorandum issued on May 10, 2018 (USCIS Policy Memorandum), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS”) proposed a substantial change in the manner in which it will calculate periods of unlawful...more