Adviser's Manual 360

On July 1, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) added two additional incident reporting requirements to its Incident Reporting Rubric for academic exchange visitor program (J-1) sponsors: 1) Lawsuits or Formal Complaints by an Exchange Visitor Against the Sponsor Alleging Unlawful Affirmative Action and 2) Lawsuits or Formal Complaints by an Exchange Visitor Against the Sponsor Alleging Unlawful DEI Policies. This follows a May 15 revision to the rubric that had added 1) Proscribed Antisemitic Actions, 2) Serious Violations of University Conduct Rules, and 3) Terrorist Activity, Endorsing or Espousing Terrorism as incident reporting requirements.

On the afternoon of June 27, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security/US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) submitted for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review a proposed rule to end "duration of status" (D/S). The "good" news is that it was submitted as a proposed rule, rather than interim final or final rule. We don’t know how similar this will be to the 2020 Trump 1.0 proposed rule of the same title that had been withdrawn under the Biden administration, but it is likely to share many similarities. See NAFSA's page that tracks the status of the new proposal and for background and some resources from the 2020 proposed rule.

On June 18, 2025, media outlets began reporting that they had obtained a copy of the expected cable sent to consular offices containing the anticipated directives 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.

Complete a survey accessible through NAFSA IssueNet to help NAFSA gather information on how the suspension in new student/exchange visitor visa appointment availability is affecting international enrollment, planning, and operations.

Register for "Sharing Model Practices for Public Access Files," a NAFSA Peer to Peer Perspective community dialogue on June 25, 2025 from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm EDT. Understanding and properly maintaining labor condition application (LCA) Public Access Files (PAFs) is essential for every H-1B practitioner. Noncompliance can lead to serious consequences, including debarment from the H-1B program. This  will begin with a brief panel discussion, followed by an open forum for sharing best practices related to the creation, storage, and upkeep of PAFs. Participants will also exchange insights on institutional procedures for handling public requests to view Public Access Files and for managing both internal and external audits.

On June 14, 2025 news outlets began reporting that an internal Department of State memo indicates that 36 more countries will be given 60 days to meet the Trump administration's benchmarks and requirements or face either a partial or full entry ban. See NAFSA's page.

On June 4, 2025 President Trump issued a proclamation "to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University." A White House Fact Sheet says that this "suspends the entry into the United States of any new Harvard student as a nonimmigrant under F, M, or J visas." Implementation of the proclamation is currently blocked by a temporary restraining order issued on June 5, 2025.

Presidential Proclamation of June 4, 2025: Restricting The Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats establishes a "full" travel ban on 12 countries and a "partial" travel ban on 7 countries, effective 12:01 am eastern daylight time on June 9, 2025.

In a brief press statement Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the "U.S. State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields. We will also revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong." No other details were included in the statement.

Keep up to date on news relating to the Department of State's pause on adding new F, M, J Visa appointment capacity pending guidance on expansion of social media screening.