Latest Updates
- SEVP Reminds DSOs of Program Compliance and Reporting Requirements and Students to Avoid Activities that Jeopardize Their Immigration Status. On October 8, 2025 the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) sent SEVIS users Broadcast Message 2510-02, reminding DSOs of their regulatory responsibilities and emphasizing the consequences on students who do not comply with regulations and the Immigration and Nationality Act. While the notice does not impose new rules, its tone aligns with broader administration messaging linking immigration compliance to national security and public safety and it outlines the statutory provisions the administration has been using to exclude and remove individuals from the United States. Institutions should ensure that DSOs remain current on regulatory requirements, maintain accurate SEVIS reporting practices, and educate students about their obligations to maintain status. See NAFSA's page for a transcription of the broadcast message.
- Impact of FY 2026 Appropriations Lapses on Immigration Agencies. The consequences of Federal budget shutdowns vary depending on whether specific operations are fee-funded or rely on appropriations. While some essential services, such as USCIS adjudications, State Department consular operations, and ICE functions typically continue, other services, like the Department of Labor’s labor certifications or USCIS programs dependent on appropriations, may halt until funding is restored. The FY 2026 cycle brings added uncertainty, as agencies have been directed to prepare potential Reduction in Force (RIF) plans alongside their contingency strategies. See NAFSA's page for background and links to resources.
- More Countries Added to List of Countries Covered by B-1/B-2 Visa Bond Pilot Program. On October 8, 2025 DOS added more nations to the list of countries covered by the B-1/B-2 visa bond pilot program, which now includes Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, The Gambia, and Zambia. See NAFSA's page.
- NAFSA Comments on DHS Proposal to Eliminate D/S. NAFSA submitted comments to DHS opposing the DHS proposal to eliminate “duration of status” (D/S) admissions for F and J nonimmigrants and to impose constraints on academic mobility. In its September 29, 2025 letter, NAFSA urged DHS to withdraw the rule, arguing it would replace a longstanding effective system with duplicative extension-of-stay requirements, increase burdens on students, scholars, schools, and exchange programs, and strain already backlogged USCIS processing, without achieving DHS's stated goals. Read NAFSA's comment letter, and see NAFSA's page analyzing the proposed rule.
- Sen. Grassley Sends Letter Opposing OPT to DHS Secretary Noem. Senator Charles "Chuck" Grassley (R-Iowa) has been historically vocal on his opposition to F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT). Most recently, on September 23, 2025 Senator Grassley sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, asking DHS for a "commitment to ending work authorizations for student visa holders," or, if not, "a detailed explanation of what legal authority DHS is relying on to issue these authorizations, and whether the Department has reevaluated that authority in light of the Supreme Court’s recent rulings on the major questions doctrine and administrative deference." Read NAFSA's page with links to Grassley's 2025, 2020, 2014, and 2012 letters on the topic.
- USCIS Proposed Rule on Weighted H-1B Cap Selection Process. On September 24, 2025 the Department of Homeland Security-US Citizenship and Immigration Services (DHS/USCIS) will publish a proposed rule titled Weighted Selection Process for Registrants and Petitioners Seeking to File Cap-Subject H-1B Petitions. The package proposes replacing the current random selection process for H-1B cap-subject registrations with "a weighted selection process that would generally favor the allocation of H-1B visas to higher skilled and higher paid aliens, while maintaining the opportunity for employers to secure H-1B workers at all wage levels." A public inspection version of the proposed rule was made available on September 23, 2025. There will be a 30-day comment period begining on September 24, 2025. See NAFSA's page.
- Presidential Proclamation Restricts Entry of H-1B Workers Unless Employer Pays $100K Fee. A Presidential Proclamation signed on September 19, 2025 sets out to restrict the entry of H-1B specialty occupation workers unless employers pay a $100,000 fee per petition, with limited national-interest exemptions, starting at 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on September 21, 2025. Claiming widespread abuse of the H-1B program by IT outsourcing firms and other employers, the order argues that the program has displaced American workers, suppressed wages, harmed new U.S. graduates, and posed national security risks. It directs federal agencies to enforce the new payment requirement, prevent misuse of other visa categories, and begin rulemaking to raise prevailing wages and prioritize the admission of high-skilled, high-paid foreign workers. See NAFSA's page.
- Trump Gold Card Executive Order. On September 19, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order titled The Trump Gold Card which seeks to establish a "Gold Card" program allowing foreign nationals who make unrestricted gifts of $1 million (individuals) or $2 million (corporations) to the Commerce Department to qualify for expedited immigrant visas. The executive order implies that Gold Card recipients would take immigrant visa numbers either from the already-limited employment-based first preference (EB-1) or second preference (EB-2) pools. See NAFSA's page.
- DOL Launches New H-1B Compliance and Enforcement Initiative. On September 19, 2025, the Department of Labor announced Project Firewall, a new H-1B enforcement initiative. For the first time, the Secretary of Labor will directly certify certain investigations, signaling heightened oversight of employer compliance. The effort will use existing enforcement tools, including back-wage recovery, civil penalties, and possible debarment, and involve coordination with DOJ, EEOC, and USCIS. Universities and research institutions sponsoring H-1B faculty or staff should take note and review compliance practices. See NAFSA's page.
- DHS Proposes Significant Expansion of Data Collected on Forms I-17 and I-20. DHS is proposing revisions to Forms I-17 and I-20 that would require schools to report more detailed information on ownership, programs of study, costs, and designated school officials, and to collect new data on students’ guardians, graduation dates, funding sources, instructional modes, and employment or training activities. DHS will accept comments on the planned changes until November 3, 2025. See NAFSA's page.
Key Executive and Regulatory Actions
DHS Proposes Ending Duration of Status
Comments in response to the DHS/ICE proposed rule to end "duration of status" for F, J, and I nonimmigrants are due by September 29, 2025. NAFSA has prepared high-level guidance to assist institutions in submitting a comment letter, along with a non-technical "explainer" and an advocacy campaign to engage Congress.
Government Funding, Staffing, and Operations
The president's draft fiscal 2026 "skinny" budget proposes a 93 percent reduction in funding for State Department Educational and Cultural Exchanges, effectively dismantling the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and its programs. Urge Congress to defend and fund federal international education and exchange programs.
Vetting and Enforcement
The Department of State (DOS) announced that it finally issued the expected "new guidance" on social media vetting, and that consulates will resume scheduling F, M, and J nonimmigrant visa appointments. It includes information on how consular officers should screen the social media and online presence of applicants applying for F, M, and J visas, and factors the consulates should consider as they resume scheduling student visa interviews
NAFSA Statements and Commentary
NAFSA Decries DHS Proposal to End D/S as a 'Gross Governmental Overreach'
NAFSA CEO, Fanta Aw said in response, "Shifting from a ‘duration of status’ policy to a fixed expiration date is a bad idea for an administration that prides itself on advancements in efficiencies and ‘America First.’ These changes will only serve to force aspiring students and scholars into a sea of administrative delays at best, and at worst, into unlawful presence status—leaving them vulnerable to punitive actions through no fault of their own."
NAFSA: U.S. Economy Could Lose $7 Billion Due to International Student Enrollment Decline
Preliminary projections by NAFSA and JB International reveal that recent actions such as visa bans and disruptions in visa interviews and processing could have a devastating effect on U.S. local economies.
NAFSA Responds to DHS Threats Against Harvard, OPT
"Revoking an institution’s ability to enroll international students and threatening to dismantle OPT are ill-conceived attacks on high-functioning systems and programs," said Fanta Aw, NAFSA CEO. "International students are not bargaining chips—they are scholars, researchers, and contributors to our communities whose presence strengthens U.S. higher education and society. We turn global talent away at our own expense."
Related Resources
2025 Policy Digest
A chronological compilation of U.S. government policy and regulatory developments and related advocacy activities, updated on a monthly basis.
Connecting Our World
Connecting Our World is NAFSA's weekly newsletter that distills the top policy and regulatory developments affecting international education and identifies how members of the field can use their voice to take action in simple but meaningful ways.
Helpful Resources
Helpful resources from NAFSA and others on initiatives under the Second Trump Administration