Compliance Management

DOS Reduces Validity of New Visas for a Number of Countries

September 30, 2025

According to the Department of State Foreign Affairs Manual: "INA 221(c) and INA 281 require the Department to set visa validity, number of entries, and fees for nationals of a country based on what that country provides to U.S. citizens for the same purpose of travel. The goal of visa reciprocity

Budget Law Imposes New Immigration Fees

Budget Law Imposes New Immigration Fees H.R.1 (Pub.L. 119-221), the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" signed into law on July 4, 2025, imposes several new immigration fees to be paid in addition to any other fees otherwise required by law. Read TITLE X, Subtitle A, Part I, Immigration Fees, One Big

Budget Law Imposes New Form I-94 Fee

October 1, 2025

Budget Law Imposes New "I-94 Fee" Executive Summary. H.R.1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" signed into law on July 4, 2025, imposes a new fee of at least $24 on "any alien who submits an application for a Form I-94 Arrival/Departure Record." Nonimmigrants are issued an electronic Form I-94 that

Budget Law Imposes Nonimmigrant "Visa Integrity Fee"

Budget Law Imposes Nonimmigrant "Visa Integrity Fee" Executive Summary. H.R.1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" signed into law on July 4, 2025, imposes a new "visa integrity fee" to be paid upon the issuance of any nonimmigrant visa. For fiscal year 2025, the fee was set at the greater of $250 or

Sharing Model Practices for Public Access Files

Understanding and properly maintaining 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 community dialogue, held June 25, 2025, began with a brief panel discussion and was followed by

DHS Proposal to Replace Duration of Status

Shortlink to this page: https://www.nafsa.org/dsproposal2025 The DHS/ICE (Department of Homeland Security-US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) proposed rule to end "duration of status" (D/S) for F, J, and I nonimmigrants was published in the Federal Register on Thursday, August 28, 2025. Public

Transcription of Purported DOS Cable 25 STATE 59756 on Expanded Screening and Vetting of FMJ Visa Applicants

Transcription of purported DOS cable 25 STATE 59756, Action Request: Expanding Screening and Vetting for FMJ Applicants, from a version of the cable circulated within the immigration bar (see, e.g., AILA Doc. No. 25062300). Please note, this text transcribes the text of a circulated document that

IssueNet Quarterly Summary - Second Quarter 2025

June 20, 2025

April, May, June, 2025 Highlighting the top issues reported through NAFSA IssueNet. Prepared by Randa Meyer, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brian Groves, University of California-San Francisco Top Issues SEVP Issue 1: SEVIS Record Terminations Institutions continued to report more SEVIS

Possible Expansion of Travel Ban

On June 14, 2025 news outlets began reporting that an internal Department of State memo sent that day to consular posts indicated 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 Trump

Student and Exchange Visitor Visa Appointment Capacity and DOS Guidance on Expanded Social Media Screening

NAFSA Advisory: Expanded Online Presence Vetting Policy for F, M, J Visa Applicants Executive Summary On June 18, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) instructed consulates worldwide to implement a mandatory expansion of social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants (students and exchange