Past Updates Arising Out of the Trump-Vance Administration

Recent and Past Updates

Chronological ist of updates that have appeared on NAFSA's Current U.S. Administration page, in reverse chronological order, with the most recent first.

• TRO Blocks Implementation of Presidential Proclamation Proclamation on New F, M, J Students at Harvard University. June 6, 2025. 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.  See NAFSA's page.
• Presidential Proclamation Orders Travel Bans on 19 Countries. June 4, 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. See NAFSA's page.
• NAFSA Signs on to ACE Letter to DOS on Visa Appointment Pause. May 30, 2025. NAFSA signed on to a letter from a coalition of higher education associations (led by the American Council on Education, ACE) to Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressing deep concern about a recent cable that U.S. embassies and consular sections have been directed to pause new student visa interviews to prepare for additional social media screening and vetting. The letter points out that this pause could prevent international students already admitted for the summer and fall 2025 terms from arriving in time to begin their studies, and also raised alarm over reports that the administration planned to revoke student visas for some Chinese students currently studying in the U.S., cautioning that such actions could discourage talented students world-wide from deciding on the United States as their study destination of choice. Highlighting the $44 billion economic contribution of international students in the 2023–2024 academic year and noting the associations' history of cooperation with federal agencies on national security matters, including past efforts to address foreign influence and threats to research integrity, the letter urged the State Department to keep any pause as brief as possible, to communicate any new policies clearly to institutions and students, and to use all available tools to reduce wait times and backlogs, to avoid disruption in the 2025–2026 academic cycle.
• DOS Cable Calls for "Enhanced Vetting" of Harvard-Bound Travelers. May 30, 2025. A copy of a reported May 30, 2025 DOS cable that has been circulated by media and other groups instructs consular officers to "[C]onduct a complete screening of the on line presence of any nonimmigrant visa applicant seeking to travel to Harvard University for any purpose. Such applicants include, but are not limited to prospective students, students, faculty, employees, contractors, guest speakers, and other visitors." The cable tells consulates to use administrative processing (which involves an initial refusal of the visa application under INA 221(g)) to conduct the enhanced social media vetting. The cable also tells consulates to consider "whether the lack of any online presence, or having social media accounts restricted to "private" or with limited visibility, may be reflective of evasiveness and call into question the applicant's credibility." The cable then indicates that the heightened scrutiny reportedly applied to applicants traveling to Harvard "will also serve as a pilot for expanded screening and vetting of visa applicants, and as the Department continues to develop and expand any enhanced vetting requirements for student visas generally, it may announce similar measures for other groups of visa applicants as appropriate, and in accordance with U.S. law." See NAFSA's Government Scrutiny of Digital Footprint and Social Media page. Note that this cable has not been blocked by any of the court actions in the President and Fellows of Harvard College v. DHS et al. (see NAFSA's page Harvard Suit Challenges Revocation of SEVP Certification), but by the same token the existence or implementation of the cable have not been verified by DOS.
• Five Key Points Related to the Administration’s Recent Actions Against International Students. May 29, 2025. The Trump administration’s assault on international education continues, sowing chaos and confusion. Here are some key points for international educators to keep in mind amid the uncertainty and rapidly unfolding developments.
• ICE sends Notice of Intent to Withdraw to Harvard. May 29, 2025. DHS posted a copy of a Notice of Intent to Withdraw (NOIW) that it sent to Harvard, dated May 28, 2025 and signed by Todd Lyons, Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under DHS regulations the issuance of a NOIW begins formal proceedings that could lead to a withdrawal on notice of Harvard's SEVIS certification. See NAFSA's page Harvard Suit Challenges Revocation of SEVP Certification for information on the litigation.
• SEVIS Release 6.82.2 to Revise SEVIS "Disciplinary Action" Page. May 28, 2025. According to the SEVIS Release 6.82.2 Planning Guide (May 21, 2025), SEVIS Release 6.82.2, scheduled for implementation on May 30, 2025, will revise the "Disciplinary Action" page in F-1/M-1 SEVIS RTI in ways that may impact how DSOs report disciplinary action. See NAFSA's page.
• Rubio Plan to "Aggressively Revoke" Visas of Chinese Students with "Connections to the Chinese Communist Party or Studying in Critical Fields." May 28, 2025. In a brief press statement titled New Visa Policies Put America First, Not China 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.
• Pause of International Student Visa Interviews is Misguided and Self-Defeating. May 27, 2025. Statements by NAFSA executive Director and CEO Dr. Fanta Aw regarding the Trump administration's plan to require all F, M, and J nonimmigrants applying for visas to come to the United States to undergo enhanced social media vetting - a significant expansion of previous such efforts.
• DOS Pauses Adding New F, M, J Visa Appointment Capacity Pending Guidance on Expansion of Social Media Screening. May 27, 2025. Politico reported on May 27 that the Department of State (DOS) is ordering U.S. embassies and consulates to temporary pause adding "additional F, M, and J "visa appointment capacity" until it issues further guidance, expected "in the coming days," on an expansion of social media screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants. See NAFSA's page for details and additional context.
• TRO Blocks DHS Revocation of Harvard SEVP Certification. May 23, 2025. A federal district court granted Harvard University's motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) that currently prevents the U.S. government from implementing or giving any force or effect to DHS's revocation of the university's SEVP certification. See NAFSA's page for details and links.
• Nationwide Preliminary Injunction Issued in SEVIS Termination Case. May 22, 2025. A California District Court issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking DHS from arresting and incarcerating, transferring, imposing any adverse legal effect, and reversing reactivation of SEVIS records of individuals who are maintaining F-1 status, while litigation is proceeding. Read the nationwide preliminary injunction in S.Y. v. Noem, 4:25-cv-03244, (N.D. Cal.), filed April 11, 2025. Case Docket on CourtListener. See NAFSA's page for general information on litigation on the SEVIS termination issue.
• TSA changes regulations to refer to sex instead of gender. May 21, 2025. A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) final rule effective May 21, 2025 "replaces the term 'gender' with 'sex' wherever it appears in TSA's regulations." The preamble to the rule includes tables identifying where and in what context the changes are being made, including in TSA REAL-ID regulations and provisions related to information that must be submitted for flight reservations. For more information on this and other gender-related administration actions, see NAFSA's page.
• SEVP Sends Notices to OPT Students Without Employer Information in SEVIS. May 16, 2025. 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.
• DOS Adds New Reporting Requirements to EVP Incident Reporting Rubric. 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. See NAFSA's page.
• NAFSA Urges Renewal of Government-Higher Education Partnership. 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.
• Executive Order 14295 of May 9, 2025: Increasing Efficiency at the Office of the Federal Register. EO on whitehouse.gov | Federal Register cite: 90 FR 20367 (May 14, 2025). Directs the Office of the Federal Register to streamline its publication process in support of the Administration’s deregulatory agenda.
• IMMpact Litigation Files Class Action Suit. On May 2, 2025, IMMpact Litigation filed a class action case in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia. IMMpact Litigation is "a joint venture of the law firms Bless Litigation in Boston, Joseph & Hall in Denver, Kuck Baxter in Atlanta and Siskind Susser in Memphis." This action takes the form of a "second amended class action complaint" filed in the Jane Doe 1 et al v. Bondi et al, 1:25-cv-01998, (N.D. Ga.). More information, on NAFSA's page.
• IE30 Update: International Student SEVIS Terminations and Restoration. May 2, 2025, 3:00 pm ET. LinkedIn discussion covered 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.
• Government Files "Policy Regarding Termination of Records" in Court Cases. On May 2, 2025, the Department of Justice filed an exhibit titled "Broadcast Message: SEVIS Notice-Policy Regarding Termination of Records," in one or more of the court cases challenging SEVIS terminations. Access the exhibit and some NAFSA observations on NAFSA's page.
• Senators Demand Clarity on SEVIS Record Terminations and Visa Revocations. On April 28, 2025, 35 senators joined U.S. Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) in a letter to Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Noem, and Acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Lyons seeking clarity on the number and nature of SEVIS record terminations and visa revocations—and to request the release of the new guidance that is driving these actions. The senators also urge the reversal of actions that unlawfully end student status and request detailed information on recent policy changes. If you live in a state represented by one of these senators, please take a moment to thank them for signing the letter. Read the letter.
• Update on SEVIS Terminations: Starting on or around April 24, 2025, NAFSA has been seeing reports from DSOs and attorneys of SEVIS records that had been terminated by DHS being restored to Active SEVIS status. Politico reports that the Department of Justice announced that all of the recent SEVIS terminations would be reversed. See Trump Administration reverses abrupt terminations of foreign students' U.S. visa registrations, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, Politico, April 25, 2025. Please keep checking your Terminated Status Students (past 18 months) list available in SEVIS to monitor this at your institution. Stay up to date on the SEVIS terminations issue on NAFSA's page.
• New SEVIS Release Removes Gender Language and Functionality. SEVIS Release 6.82.1 is scheduled to be implemented on the evening of April 25, 2025. In the new release: "All SEVIS data fields labeled Gender will be changed to Sex" and "The ‘Other’ option will no longer be available for the Sex data field when creating or updating an Initial F/M student, Exchange Visitor (EV), and dependent SEVIS record. If an EV’s Sex is ‘Other,’ it must be changed if changes are made on the Biographical Information page." See the SEVIS Release 6.82.1 Planning Guide.
• New Executive Orders. On April 23, 2025 President Trump signed the following executive orders relevant to higher education:
  • Executive Order 14279 of April 23, 2025: Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education. EO on whitehouse.gov | EO 14279 published at 90 FR 17529 (April 28, 2025). This Executive ORder directs the Department of Education to reform the higher education accreditation system by holding accrediting bodies accountable for focusing on academic quality and student outcomes rather than DEI initiatives, while prohibiting accreditation standards that could lead to unlawful discrimination as understood by the Trump-Vance administration. The order calls for increased competition among accreditors, streamlined processes for institutions to change accreditors, and mandates that institutions use program-level student outcome data for improvement, with potential consequences for accreditors of law and medical schools whose standards are deemed in violation of federal law.
  • Executive Order 14282 of April 23, 2025: Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities. EO on whitehouse.gov | EO 14282 published at 90 FR 17541 (April 28, 2025). This Executive Order reinstates and tightens enforcement of higher education institutions' obligation to disclose foreign funding sources under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act. The Department of Education will require more specific reporting details, increase public access to this information, and coordinate with the Attorney General to audit institutions, with potential consequences including ineligibility for federal grant funding.
  • Executive Order 14283 of April 23, 2025: White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. EO on whitehouse.gov | EO 14283 published at 90 FR 17543 (April 28, 2025). This Executive Order establishes a White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) housed in the Executive Office of the President and creates a President's Board of Advisors to enhance HBCU capabilities through private-sector partnerships, philanthropic support, and federal coordination. Higher education institutions classified as HBCUs can expect increased focus on institutional planning, infrastructure upgrades, professional development opportunities, and implementation of the HBCU PARTNERS Act, with an annual White House Summit to address related matters.
• Helpful Video on F-1 SEVIS Terminations and Visa Revocations. A video from law firm Green and Spiegel presents a conversation with Kerry Doyle (of counsel at Green and Spiegel, and the former Principal Legal Advisor to ICE) and Dan Berger (partner at Green and Spiegel leading the academic immigration team, and a visiting fellow at Cornell Law School). Suitable for a student audience as well (but not intended as legal advice). View What we know about terminations of international student visa and status (April 22, 2025, Posted on YouTube).
• DOS Plans Comprehensive Reorganization. In an April 22, 2025 press statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced "a comprehensive reorganization plan" for the Department of State (DOS) that Rubio says will be implemented "methodically over the next several months." See NAFSA's page.
• SEVIS Record Termination Litigation. Numerous lawsuits against recent SEVIS record terminations are being filed across the United States. See a sample of cases already filed for an idea of the scope and issues being litigated. April 20, 2025. See NAFSA's page.
• NAFSA Initial Analysis of Visa Revocations and other Actions Targeting International Students and Scholars. April 10, 2025. Since mid-March, NAFSA has been collecting reports of international students and scholars having their visas revoked, their record terminated in SEVIS, and/or being arrested and detained. A NAFSA press release includes our top-level findings along with ways institutions can support their students and upcoming NAFSA events where the field can come together and find community. See NAFSA's press release.
• DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism. April 09, 2025. A DHS news release says that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) "will consider social media content that indicates an alien endorsing, espousing, promoting, or supporting antisemitic terrorism, antisemitic terrorist organizations, or other antisemitic activity as a negative factor in any USCIS discretionary analysis when adjudicating immigration benefit requests. This guidance is effective immediately." See NAFSA's page.
• DOE Plans for 15% Indirect Cost Limits Placed on Hold by Court. On April 11, 2025 the Department of Energy (DOE) said that it sent a policy memorandum to grant recipients at colleges and universities announcing that it will limit financial support of “indirect costs” of DOE research funding to 15%. See the DOE press release. On April 16, 2025, in a case filed by the AAU, a U.S. District Court in Massachusetts issued a Temporary Restraining Order blocking the policy while litigation continues. See the case docket on CourtListener.
• State Department Announces Plans to Revoke South Sudanese Visas. April 5, 2025. See NAFSA's page.
• NAFSA Signs on to ACE Letter to DOS and DHS Regarding Recent Actions Against Students. April 4, 2025. NAFSA along with other higher education associations signed on to a letter sent by the American Council on Education (ACE) to the Secretaries of State and Homeland Security to seek more information on DOS and DHS policy and planned actions relating to recent visa revocations, SEVIS record terminations, and detention and removal of international students. Read the letter.
• ICE-Initiated SEVIS Record Terminations. April 2, 2025. NAFSA continues to receive numerous reports of SEVIS record terminations done by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). See NAFSA's page.
• NAFSA Responds to International Student and Scholar Arrests. In a March 31, 2025 press release, NAFSA addressed the recent reports on detention of international students and scholars, visa revocations, and the termination of SEVIS records, saying that the "government’s recent actions have created an atmosphere of fear and confusion that has students, scholars, and their families understandably concerned about their safety and future in the United States. These actions also undermine what makes U.S. higher education so special: well-resourced, cutting-edge research opportunities; academic freedom; and free speech."
• House Committee Sends Letters to Several Universities Requesting Detailed Information on Chinese Students. A House committee sent letters on March 19, 2025 to six U.S. University presidents asking for written responses to numerous questions regarding demographics, funding sources, research activities, security protocols, and post-graduation trajectories of Chinese national students, particularly in STEM fields, with an emphasis on affiliations with Chinese entities, federally funded research, and potential national security concerns. See NAFSA's page.
• Alliance Condemns Recent ICE Apprehensions and Detentions. In a March 31, 2024 press release, the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration "condemns the apprehension and detention of international students and calls on the administration to respect constitutional rights."
• DHS Extends Mass Influx of Aliens Finding. March 25, 2025. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem extended for another 180 days DHS's initial finding of a "mass influx of aliens" at the southern border. See NAFSA's page.
• DHS Ends Categorical Parole for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. On March 25, 2025 DHS published a notice in the Federal Register terminating categorical parole for up to 530,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans. On April 14, 2025 a federal district court issued a preliminary injunction blocking implementation of portions of the Federal Register notice. See NAFSA's page.
• DHS Reduces CIS Ombuds Office. On March 21, 2025 news outlets reported that DHS had implemented a "reduction in force" affecting over 100 employees across three oversight offices, including the CIS Ombudsman's Office.
• Executive Order of March 20, 2025: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities directs the Secretary of Education to "take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education" and to ensure that the allocation of any Federal Department of Education funds not support "'diversity, equity, and inclusion' or similar terms and programs promoting gender ideology." See NAFSA's page.
• Proclamation of March 15, 2025: Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act Regarding the Invasion of The United States by Tren De Aragua. On March 15, 2025, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Tren de Aragua (TdA), a Venezuelan criminal organization that has also been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The proclamation is currently enjoined by a temporary restraining order issued the same day as the proclamation. See NAFSA's page.
• Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and others ordered to reduce scope. March 14, 2025. A presidential order titled Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy "continues the reduction in the elements of the Federal bureaucracy that the President has determined are unnecessary." Section 2 of the order, titled Reducing the Scope of the Federal Bureaucracy, identifies seven governmental entities, including the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, and directs that "the non-statutory components and functions [those] governmental entities shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law, and such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law."
• DOS Determines Immigration is an APA Foreign Affairs Function. March 13, 2025. A Federal Register notice set for publication on March 14, 2025, delivers a broad new determination from Secretary of State Marco Rubio declaring that all federal efforts related to border control, immigration, and cross-border transactions by any agency fall under the foreign affairs function exemption of the Administrative Procedure Act (APA). See NAFSA's page.
• USCIS Rule Implements New Registration Requirements. March 12, 2025. A USCIS interim final rule published on March 12, 2025 designates a new "Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration)" to implement a new registration and fingerprinting process for individuals who have not been registered through standard visa and entry requirements, including individuals who entered without inspection or who were not issued a Form I-94 and re-registration of children who turn 14 while inside the United States. Visit NAFSA's page for more details.
• Judge Temporarily Blocks Deportation of Arrested LPR Student. March 10, 2025. A New York District Court issued an order to block the removal from the United States of a student who is a lawful permanent resident of Palestinian background, following the student's arrest by ICE agents acting under Executive Order 14188, "Additional Measures to Combat Anti-Semitism." See NAFSA's page.
• INA 212(f) travel ban expected soon. March 10, 2025. An INA 212(f) "travel ban" is expected soon, according to media and other sources. Media reports have identified some countries that may be subject to a ban during this first round, but there have been no official or public government communications on what countries might be included or the scope of any bans on particular countries. See NAFSA's page.
• Visa Interview Wait Time Info No Longer Available on DOS Web Pages. March 7, 2025. Two actions have rendered visa interview wait time information no longer available on the travel.state.gov website. See NAFSA's page.
• DHS and DOS are Revising Forms to Remove "Gender Marker X" options, pursuant to Executive Order 14168, Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government. AILA has sued USCIS because of the lack of notice and failure to provide a grace period on revised forms.See NAFSA's page.
• 15-Day Pause on DOS Grant Disbursements. NAFSA notes that members have reported receiving notifications on February 13, 2025 from the Department of State of a "15-Day Pause on Grant Disbursements in the Payment Management System" that took effect on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. The pause applies to all current and future grant payments scheduled during this period. The communications acknowledge that this will impact recipients, ability to carry out program activities and financial planning, but offer no further guidance except that recipients can contact their Grants Officer with questions. See NAFSA's page. Read NAFSA's March 3, 2025 Statement: Suspension of International Education and Exchange Program Funding Threatens U.S. Economic and National Security, and Take Action to Urge Congress to Restore Vital International Education and Exchange Funding!
• DoEd Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) Directs Schools to End Racial Preferences. On February 14, 2025, the Department of Education (DoEd) issued a "Dear Colleague Letter" on the prohibition on "using race in decisions pertaining to admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life." NAFSA and other associations responded in an February 24, 2025 letter. DoEd posted a set of FAQs on the DCL on March 1, 2025. See NAFSA's page.
• USCIS Changes Policy on Issuing NTAs After Adverse Adjudications. USCIS Policy Memorandum PM-602-0187, Issuance of Notices to Appear (NTAs) in Cases Involving Inadmissible and Deportable Aliens (February 28, 2025). "USCIS will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement, which includes referring cases to ICE and issuance of NTAs... Typically, USCIS will issue an NTA after taking adverse action on a benefit request (i.e., denying an application)." An NTA (Form I-862) is a charging document that, among other things, begins deportation proceedings before an Immigration Judge.
• DOJ Anti-Semitism Task Force to Visit 10 Campuses. On February 28, 2025, DOJ announced that the "Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism" will be visiting 10 university campuses that have "experienced antisemitic incidents since October 2023." See NAFSA's page.
• Executive Order of March 1, 2025: Designating English as the Official Language of The United States. EO on whitehouse.gov. This executive order designates English as the official language of the United States and revokes Biden's Executive Order 13166 of August 11, 2000 (Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency). The new executive order states, though, that "nothing in this order, however, requires or directs any change in the services provided by any agency. Agency heads should make decisions as they deem necessary to fulfill their respective agencies’ mission and efficiently provide Government services to the American people. Agency heads are not required to amend, remove, or otherwise stop production of documents, products, or other services prepared or offered in languages other than English."
• Executive Order of February 26, 2025: Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Cost Efficiency Initiative. Targets "discretionary spending through Federal contracts, grants, loans, and related instruments," including "non-essential" travel to conferences and other purposes. See NAFSA's page.
• New Immigration Registration Requirements. Guidance that USCIS posted on February 25, 2025 will require young nonimmigrants who turn 14 while in the U.S. to "re-register" with USCIS within 30 days of their birthday, even if previously registered when entering the country. This may affect, for example, F-2, J-2, H-4 dependents and young F-1/J-1 students who entered before age 14. Most nonimmigrants (e.g., F-1, J-1, H-1B, etc.) who entered the U.S. at age 14+ are already automatically registered (as evidenced by their Form I-94) and DON'T need to re-register. The new registration process isn't available yet but USCIS will announce it when ready. This is also a good time to remind noncitizens to carry their registration document and timely report address changes. Preliminary OMB and Federal Register postings indicate that the form will be designated as "Form G-325R, Biographic Information (Registration). See NAFSA's page.
• Trump "Gold Card." According to Reuters and other news sources, on February 25, 2025 President Trump announced plans to replace the EB-5 immigrant investor visa program with a so-called "gold card" program in which lawful permanent residence could be purchased for $5 million. Read more.
• DOS Revises Visa Interview Waiver Policy. A February 18, 2025 Interview Waiver Update rescinds prior DOS expansions of interview waiver authority, for example, reinstating the statutory 12-month post-expiration period for applicants who previously held a visa in the same category. This marks a shift from the previous policy, which allowed interview waivers for applicants whose prior visa had expired within the past 48 months. See NAFSA's page.
• Cap on NIH indirect funding. On February 7, 2025 the National Institutes of Health (NIH) imposed a 15% cap on the "indirect cost" rate for all NIH grants. On February 10, 2025 the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts temporarily blocked implementation of the 15% cap. The court set a hearing for February 21, 2025. In the meantime, NIH is blocked from implementing the 15% cap nationwide. See NAFSA's page.