EO

Executive Orders

Brief Summary of actions around Executive Orders, Policies, and Legislation as of January 20, 2025 that could potentially impact non-immigrants who are on F-1, J-1, H-1B or other non-immigrant visas

January 28, 2025

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...

Brief Summary of actions around Executive Orders, Policies, and Legislation as of March 17, 2025 that could potentially impact non-immigrants who are on F-1, J-1, H-1B or other non-immigrant visas

March 17, 2025

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...

6/4/2025 Presidential Proclamation: Visa Issuance Ban Impacting 19 Countries

June 5, 2025

On June 4, 2025, President Trump signed a proclamation titled "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats." This executive order introduces new travel restrictions and visa limitations, effective at 12:01 EST on...

Presidential Proclamation - Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers

September 19, 2025

Updated 10/20/2025: USCIS has updated its web page on H-1B Specialty Occupations to include updated information on the Presidential Proclamation on Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers. Some notable confirmations include:

The proclamation "does not prevent any holder of a current H-1B visa, or any alien beneficiary following petition approval, from traveling in and out of the United States." In other words, international employees with a current...

Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions

October 6, 2025

On September 24, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed a rule to change the H-1B lottery system from a purely random selection process to a weighted selection process based on the worker's proposed wage level. The proposed rule, titled "Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking To File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions," aims to encourage employers to offer higher wages...

Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries

December 3, 2025

On December 2, 2025 USCIS issued a new Policy Memorandum: Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries.

Effective immediately, the memorandum directs U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to:

Place a hold on all Forms I-589 (Application for Asylum and for Withholding of Removal), regardless of the alien’s country of...

12/17/2025 Presidential Proclamation: Expanded Travel Ban

December 17, 2025

On December 16, 2025, President Trump issued a new and expanded Travel Proclamation - Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect The Security Of The United States. This Proclamation is a new and expanded travel ban that builds on the travel...

3/17/17 - Increased Screening of Visa Applicants

March 17, 2017
On March 17, 2017, the U.S. Dept. of State issued cables to all diplomatic and consular posts providing instructions for increased scrutiny for visa applicants. Individuals subject to these security clearances can expect extremely long visa processing times ranging from 2-6 months or more.
http://www.aila.org/infonet/dos-cable-superseding-previously-issued-cable

3/06/17 - Executive Order: Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States

March 6, 2017

On March 6, 2017 President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled Protecting the Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry Into the United States scheduled to take effect on March 16, 2017. This Executive Order replaces and revokes the prior Executive Order 13769 which had been issued on January 27, 2017. As with the prior Executive Order, this new Executive Order contains provisions that directly affect our student and scholar...

6/26/17 - Supreme Court Decision on Executive Order 13780 “Travel Ban.”

June 26, 2017
On June 26, 2017 The Supreme Court of the United States granted the U.S. government’s request for a stay of the previous lower court preliminary injunctions to the Executive Order 13780 “Travel Ban.” The Supreme Court will hear the final case in October 2017. The current Supreme Court decision upholds the travel ban for nationals or citizens of the 6 designated countries of Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen- but creates an important exception for “foreign nationals who have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States” which appears to include UC Berkeley students, scholars, and employees.