This page shares information and resources related to recent executive orders, policies, and legislation, as well as their potential impact to our international students, scholars and employees. While we try to ensure our information is timely and accurate, new updates can come unexpectedly. We recommend referring to verified government sources for official information, or to NAFSA's webpage on Executive and Regulatory Actions for detailed information and analysis of current executive and federal agency actions impacting the international education community.
Registration Requirements
On March 12, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published an Interim Final Rule which becomes effective on April 11, 2025 that amends DHS regulations to designate a new USCIS alien registration process for certain nonimmigrants to comply with required “registration” and fingerprinting provisions.
Most non-immigrants including children are not impacted and do not need to take any action, as they already meet registration and fingerprinting requirements obtained through the visa and entry process. However, some individuals crossing Canadian land borders and dependent children who have or are turning 14 while in the U.S. may be impacted.
If you or your dependents were issued a non-immigrant visa prior to arrival and/or you have a valid I-94 and were legally admitted to the US, your I-94 is evidence of your “registration”. See the USCIS Alien Registration FAQ for the full list of aliens who are considered already registered.
Please review USCIS procedures to determine if you or a dependent need to register or re-register. If you determine that you or one of your child dependents may need to register, USCIS has provided details about this requirement, and guidelines you should follow on how to register. Prior to completing this registration requirement, you may wish to consider consulting an attorney.
Gender-Related Changes
We are beginning to observe how the Federal Government is interpreting and implementing the Executive Order: Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government. Specifically, visas are being issued based on one’s sex assigned at birth and not the gender identified in the passport or immigration document (I-20 or DS-2019). If these changes could potentially impact you, and you have international travel plans in the future, we encourage you to speak to a BIO advisor before undertaking any travel.
Protest Activities
As part of a Fact Sheet and Executive Order: Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism, we are seeing active measures being undertaken by several agencies including the Department of State, Department of Justice, and Homeland Security to seek out and cancel the visas of individuals who participated in protest activities related to the Israel-Hamas conflict in an Artificial Intelligence generated program called “Catch and Revoke.” According to a media report, such a program will include a review of social media accounts of certain individuals.
In light of these measures, and although we recognize that international students, researchers, and employees on visas sponsored by UC Berkeley have the right to engage lawfully in expressive activity, BIO advises you to understand the potential increased risks involved in participating in such activity. If you are represented by a union please consult with a union steward about potential risks. Additionally, we advise you to be mindful of your social and public media presence, as DHS and other federal agencies may use social media or other publicly available information on decisions related to entry, visas, USCIS adjudications as well as for the basis of enforcement actions.