Travel and Visa

Travel and Visa Policy

8/21/17 DOS Suspends Nonimmigrant Visa Operations in Russia

August 21, 2017

The U.S. diplomatic mission to Russia announced on August 21, 2017, that "Due to the Russian government-imposed cap on U.S. diplomatic personnel in Russia, all nonimmigrant visa operations across Russia will be suspended on August 23. Operations will resume in Moscow on September 1; visa operations at the U.S. consulates will remain suspended indefinitely. Currently scheduled appointments will be cancelled and applicants will be provided instructions on how to...

Continuing Litigation Upholds Blocks on Enforcement of Proclamation 9645

November 3, 2017

Preliminary injunctions from U.S. District Courts in Hawaii and Maryland continue to block enforcement of travel bans for nationals of Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia, but leaves in place the Proclamation's bars on Venezuela and North Korea. The U.S. government is expected to continue appeals. See NAFSA's Entry Ban Litigation Updates for more information.

10/17/2017 - U.S. District Court in Hawaii issues Temporary Restraining Order to Block Implementation of Proclamation 9645​

October 17, 2017
On Oct 17, 2017 the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii issued a Temporary Restraining Order prohibiting enforcement of sections 2(a), (b), (c), (e), (g), and (h) of the Sept 24, 2017 travel ban Proclamation 9645. This Temporary Restraining Order blocks...

11/13/2017 - 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Issues Partial Stay of Travel Ban Injunction

November 16, 2017
On Nov 13, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a partial stay of the Hawaii preliminary injunction on travel ban Proclamation 9645. The partial stay continues to block the travel ban for citizens of Chad, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, and Somalia only if they can establish that they have "a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a...

Non-Immigrant Visa Processing Resumes in Turkey

November 8, 2017
US non-immigrant visa services have resumed at the U.S. embassy and consulates in Turkey,on a limited basis with a reduced number of available appointments. For the near future, Berkeley International Office recommends minimizing international travel due to the changing nature of the new administration's policies on visas and U.S. entry. Should you have essential travel that requires a visa application, please information available from from the U.S. Mission in Turkey:...

12/28/2017 - Full Visa Processing Resumes in Turkey

January 3, 2018

On Dec. 28, 2017, the US Department of State announced that full visa services will resume in Turkey.

12/04/2017 - Travel Restrictions in Effect after Supreme Court Decision

December 4, 2017

On December 4, 2017 the Supreme Court of the United States issued stayson 2 previous preliminary injunctions impacting the September 24, 2017 ...

6/26/2018- Supreme Court Upholds Presidential Proclamation 9645 (Travel Ban 3.0)

June 26, 2018

On June 26, 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Presidential Proclamation 9645. The Presidential Proclamation 9645 provides country-specific entry restrictions for citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen, North Korea, Venezuela and Somalia. As of June...

4/10/2018- Chad Removed from Travel Ban List

April 16, 2018

A Presidential Proclamation on April 10, 2018 , has removed Chad from the Travel Ban list effective April 13, 2018 due to a Department of Homeland Security review which found that "that Chad has made marked improvements in its identity-management and information-sharing practices."

Jan 31, 2020 Presidential Proclamation "Travel Ban" Does Not Impact Student Visa Category

January 31, 2020
On January 31, 2020 President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation entitled Proclamation on Improving Enhanced Vetting Capabilities and Processes for Detecting Attempted Entry to take effect on February 21, 2020. This Presidential Proclamation restricts entry on immigrant visas for citizens and nationals of Myanmar, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and entry as Diversity Immigrants for citizens and nationals of Sudan and Tanzania. Note that this DOES NOT include F or J student or scholar visa categories.