NAFSA members reported that certain F-1 students on Optional Practical Training (OPT) received a letter from SEVP titled “Student and Exchange Visitor Program: Notice of Failure to Report Optional Practical Training Employer and Exceeding Permissible Period of Unemployment," advising the students that they’ve “been participating in Optional Practical Training (OPT) for more than 90 days but have not reported any employer information,” and that “If your SEVIS record is not updated within 15 days of the date of this notice, SEVP will set your SEVIS record to “terminated” to reflect the lack of employer information and the potential that you may have violated your status either by failing to timely report OPT employment or by exceeding the permissible period of unemployment while on OPT.” Read more on NAFSA's page.

On May 15, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) sent an alert to J-1 Exchange Visitor Program (EVP) Sponsors to inform them that DOS has revised its Incident Reporting Rubric for academic program sponsors by adding the following new incident reporting requirements: Proscribed Antisemitic Actions, Serious Violations of University Conduct Rules, and Terrorist Activity, Endorsing or Espousing Terrorism.

On May 15, 2025 NAFSA joined a statement led by the American Council on Education and endorsed by 52 other organizations affirming the longstanding partnership between the federal government and higher education and urging the current administration reforge this partnership to advance shared national interests.

Listen to live oral argument at the Supreme Court in the Trump v. Casa case regarding the executive order that seeks to seeks to redefine U.S. birthright citizenship by excluding children born in the United States to mothers who are either unlawfully present or legally present but on temporary status (such as tourist or student visas), unless the father is either a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The hearing will be on the government's request for a stay of the lower courts' nationwide injunctions and will not address the underlying substance or merits of the case. Links to the oral argument are on NAFSA's page on the executive order.

Members have reported instances of USCIS issuing Requests for Evidence (RFEs) to applicants and petitioners applying for immigration benefits. Read NAFSA's primer on the regulatory and policy basis of such requests.

Read the NAFSA IssueNet Quarterly Summary - First Quarter 2025 for highlights of the top issues reported through NAFSA IssueNet in January, February, and March, 2025.

On May 7, 2025 the Transportation announced the implementation of its REAL ID enforcement measures at TSA checkpoints nationwide. Visit NAFSA's REAL ID Act page for a refresher.

IE30 Update: International Student SEVIS Terminations and Restoration. May 2, 2025, 3:00 pm ET. LinkedIn discussion will cover SEVIS Terminations and Restoration, Key Considerations, Recent Visa Revocation Developments, and Impact on Summer Travel. With NAFSA Executive Director and CEO Dr. Fanta Aw, AILA Senior Director of Government Relations Shev Dalal-Dheini, and NAFSA Counsel and Director of Immigration Policy Heather Stewart.

Average visa interview wait time information is once again available on the Department of State's Global Visa Wait Times page on travel.state.gov. The page was finally updated with new data on April 25, 2025 after having been dormant since January 7, 2025.

Three new presidential executive orders relevant to higher education were signed on April 23, 2025: 1)Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities. 2) Executive Order of April 23, 2025: Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education; 3) White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Link to the orders on NAFSA's Current U.S. Administration page.