On September 27, 2019, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program issued policy guidance on the obligations of schools and students regarding the direct relationship between the student's major field of study and the work the student does on pre-completion OPT, standard post-completion OPT, and STEM OPT.

On September 27, 2019, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia granted a nationwide preliminary injunction that blocks DHS from implementing the expanded expedited removal policy that DHS sought to implement in a July 23, 2019 policy notice. Until resolved, DHS must follow its prior expedited removal policy.

In a September 16, 2019 letter to academic institutions, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) said, "During the next few months, OSTP will be holding meetings at academic institutions across the Nation to converse with researchers and students on matters of research security and other topics..."

On September 4, 2019, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published two notices asking for public comment on DHS's plan to modify a number of CBP (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) and USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) forms to ask for additional identifying information and add social media presence questions. Comments on both notices are due by November 4, 2019.

The Department of Education (DoEd) recently has been reviewing school compliance with foreign gift and contract disclosure reporting requirements. On September 4, 2019 DoEd published notice of a proposed new form that would be used by schools to report gifts and contracts under 20 USC 1011f. Comments are due on or before November 5, 2019.

The Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Alien Labor Certification (OFLC) announced a timeline for implementation of filing the Form ETA-9035 Labor Condition Application (LCA) in the new DOL FLAG system, and the phasing out of filing LCAs in iCert. Instructional videos will be available by September 13, 2019, and an OFLC webinar is planned for September 18, 2019. The plan is that all LCAs will have to be filed in the new FLAG system starting 12:00 noon (Eastern) on October 1, 2019.

NAFSA and the Presidents’ Alliance for Higher Education and Immigration are working to coordinate an amicus brief for higher education institutions to join, to be filed with the Court in the WashTech litigation that is challenging the existence of OPT. The deadline to join this amicus brief is October 11, 2019. Consult NAFSA's WashTech Litigation page to find out how your institution can join the brief.

The court case Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. Department of Homeland Security seeks to discontinue the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, particularly post completion OPT and STEM OPT. A decision in the case against OPT could also put other forms of F-1 employment authorization at risk. Join us on Tuesday, September 3, 2019 from 3:00-4:00 eastern, for a discussion of the case, an explanation of how the higher education community and NAFSA are working to defend OPT, and how you and your institution can join the effort. The event is free of charge, but you must register to join. If you can't make it, it will be recorded and made available to NAFSA members.

On August 5, 2019, the Department of State (DOS) issued Guidance Directive 2019-03 to "remind sponsors of, and clarify, certain regulatory requirements in order to assist sponsors with the administration of exchange programs in the College and University Student category." The guidance stems from DOS's review of the J-1 exchange visitor College and University Student category.

Under a new policy effective July 23, 2019, DHS began applying its expedited removal deportation authority to the full extent allowed by statute, i.e., now individuals who entered without inspection and are encountered by DHS anywhere inside the United States can be subject to expedited removal if they cannot show continuous presence in the United States for at least two years. Prior policy in place since 2004 had limited expedited removal in the interior only to undocumented individuals who were within 100 miles of a U.S. land border and in the United States for less than 14 days.