International Student & Scholar Services, together with other University offices, closely monitors changes that could affect our international community. This could include F-1/J-1 students, J-1 scholars, H-1B, TN, and O-1 employees, and their dependents.
We encourage you to bookmark this page, as we will keep this page and the ISSS site updated.
The information on this page represents our office’s advising as of the time of posting. We strive to provide accurate and reliable information; however, this information is not intended to constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such (see: ISSS Disclaimer).
If you are concerned that the information here does not reflect your immediate circumstances or if you need more specific advising, please contact ISSS.
If you are seeking legal advice regarding your current immigration status or other factors that might affect your immigration status, consult an experienced immigration lawyer or recognized/accredited organization or representative for legal advice or for legal assistance.
You are also encouraged to independently stay abreast of developments that may impact you based on your specific situation. As you do this, however, please remember that social media and news outlets may report incorrect information.
Advising & Assistance
ISSS is always available to assist and connect you with resources. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions at international@ua.edu; come to us during drop-in advising 11 am – 3 pm, Monday through Thursday; or booking an appointment to see an advisor.
Other offices at UA are here to help you be successful on campus, including the following:
- Counseling Center
- Student Care and Well-Being
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for Faculty and Staff
Evidence of Status – Carry Copies/Scans Daily
Anyone on a non-immigrant visa should be able to present proof of their legal status within the United States at any time, and Alabama state law (Act 2011-535) requires that you be able to document your lawful status.
Keep documentation of your visa status up-to-date and always carry proof of status, such as a photocopy or scan/digital copy of your primary immigration documents.
Student Documents to Carry Daily
We recommend students on F-1 or J-1 student visa status carry copies/scans of your:
- main passport page
- current I-94 Record
- most recent I-20/DS-2019
- most recent visa
- I-797 Approval Notice (for those who have changed to F-1 or J-1 status inside the U.S.)
Note: It may also be helpful to have a copy of your class schedule (from the student tab of MyBama) or Enrollment Verification.
Scholar Documents to Carry Daily
We recommend scholars, faculty, and staff carry copies/scans of your:
- main passport page
- current I-94 Record
- I-797 Approval Notice (if on H-1B, TN, or O-1 status)
- most recent DS-2019 (if on J-1 status)
- most recent visa
Other Visa Holders
For those students in a visa status other than F-1 or J-1 and those scholars, faculty, and staff in a visa status other than J-1, H-1B, TN, or O-1, you should carry scans/digital copies of the primary documents which support your visa status.
For maintenance of status questions, please also see the following pages:
- F-1 and J-1 Student Maintaining Student Status Page
- J-1 Scholar Page
- H-1B Worker Page
- TN Worker Page
NOTE: Certain actions by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security), the U.S. Department of State (including the embassy that issued your visa), or by ICE (Immigration & Customs Enforcement) may impact your status. If you are contacted by one of these agencies, please contact ISSS so that we can answer your questions regarding your status.
Domestic Travel
If you will be traveling within the United States – driving on major highways, or riding on buses, trains, or planes – you should carry both scans/copies of your documents and the original physical documents.
Student Documents to Carry when Traveling Domestically
We recommend students on F-1 or J-1 student visa status traveling domestically within the continental U.S., carry your:
- original, physical passport
- most recent visa
- printout of your current I-94 Record
- printed copy of your most recent I-20/DS-2019
- printed copy of your I-797 Approval Notice (for those who have changed to F-1 or J-1 status inside the U.S.)
- printed copy of your class schedule (from the student tab of MyBama) or Enrollment Verification.
Scholar Documents to Carry when Traveling Domestically
We recommend scholars, faculty, and staff who are traveling domestically within the continental U.S., carry your:
- original, physical passport
- most recent visa
- printout of your current I-94 Record
- printed copy of your I-797 Approval Notice (if on H-1B, TN, or O-1 status)
- printed copy of your most recent DS-2019 (if on J-1 status)
Other Visa Holders
For those students in a visa status other than F-1 or J-1 and those scholars, faculty, and staff in a visa status other than J-1, H-1B, TN, or O-1, you would want to carry the primary documents which support your visa status.
Travel Outside of the Continental U.S.
For those on F-1 or J-1 visas traveling domestically outside of the continental United States (i.e. to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, or the U.S. Virgin Islands), ISSS also recommends having a current, valid travel signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 as a precaution. If your I-20 or DS-2019 does not have a travel signature, or your travel signature will be more than 12 months old at the time of your planned return, please submit the Travel Signature Request Form (DOCUSIGN) to obtain a new travel signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 prior to travel.
International Travel & Travel Bans
Travel Bans (Updated 06/09/2025)
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.
Read:
- The Proclamation on whitehouse.gov
- White House Fact Sheet on the Proclamation
- June 7, 2025 DOS Visas News Posting
Resource: NAFSA: Association of International Educators
Effective date – The proclamation is effective at 12:01 am eastern daylight time on June 9, 2025.
Full ban countries – Twelve (12) countries are subject to a full ban that suspends “entry into the United States” of nationals of those countries as “immigrants and nonimmigrants.” The 12 “full ban” countries are: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Partial ban countries – Seven (7) countries are subject to a partial ban that suspends “entry into the United States” as immigrants and of nonimmigrants “B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.” The 7 “partial ban” countries are: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
Exceptions – The ban provisions are applicable only to nationals of the subject country who are outside the U.S. without a valid visa as of June 9, 2025.
Individuals who are inside the United States on June 9, 2025, or who are outside the United States on that date but have a visa that is valid as of June 9, 2025, would not be covered by the ban.
No revocation of visas issued before the proclamation effective date. The proclamation also states that “No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa issued before the applicable effective date of this proclamation shall be revoked pursuant to this proclamation.”
This interpretation is supported in a June 7, 2025 DOS Visas News posting that states (bolded in the original):
“This Presidential Proclamation only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date AND do not hold a valid visa on the effective date (June 9, 2025). Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to the Proclamation. No visas issued before June 9, 2025, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation.
Visa applicants who are subject to this Presidential Proclamation may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.”
There are also a number of categorical exceptions, such as for lawful permanent residents, dual nationals who travel on passports issued by a non-ban country, asylees, refugees, diplomatic and international organization visas, and some other categories.
Case-by-case exceptions – Proclamation Sections 4(c) and 4(d) also provide for case-by-case exceptions by the Attorney General and Secretary of State.
Advising – International Students, Scholars, Faculty, and Staff from the above 19 impacted countries are strongly advised to consult with International Student & Scholar Services prior to any travel. ISSS advising staff are available during drop-in advising 11 am – 3 pm, Monday through Thursday or by appointment.
Additional Travel Considerations
If traveling internationally, please keep in mind the following information.
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection screenings: All international travelers are subject to inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) when arriving at both air and land ports of entry. CBP will screen travelers to determine whether they are “admissible.”
- CBP officers may question you about your travel, inspect your personal belongings and electronic devices.
- In some cases, they may request access to your social media accounts or may copy data from your devices.
- Travelers, including U.S. citizens, have limited constitutional protections (e.g., privacy and due process, including right to legal counsel) during these inspections.
- Refusal to cooperate may result in delays, seizure of devices, and for non-U.S. citizens, denial of entry.
For ISSS international travel advising resources, please also see the following ISSS pages:
- UA Travel Policies for university-sponsored travel
- F-1 and J-1 Student Travel Guidance
- J-1 Scholar Travel Guidance
- H-1B Travel Guidance
- TN Travel Guidance
Visas – Applications and Renewals
Visa Appointment Pause Related to Scrutiny of Social Media (Updated 06/10/2025)
Resources: NAFSA: Association of International Educators and NAFSA DOS Visa Appointment Page
On May 27, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) put a temporary pause on F, M, and J visa appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates until they issue further guidance, expected “in the coming days,” on an expansion of social media screening and vetting of student and exchange visitor applicants.
At this time, it appears that only new appointments are impacted. Scheduled visa appointments are not being cancelled. If you have an existing appointment, you should plan to keep it.
The Department of State has not provided a specific date when the visa appointment pause will be lifted, but in a May 29, 2025 Department of State press briefing a DOS spokesperson responded that the pause would be brief.
In a June 3, 2025 Department of State Press Briefing, a DOS spokesperson stated “there’ll be more on this in – before the end of the week. The original cable indicated it was going to be a matter of days.” Adding further, “And I think that once this is done and it’s back online, it’ll go pretty quickly.”
In a June 10, 2025 Department of State Press Briefing, a DOS spokesperson reiterated that “…I can reassert here is that people should watch for those spaces to be open, should continue to apply.”
ISSS will update this webpage with any new policies impacting visa applications as soon as those have been announced.
Guidance for Students and Scholars Regarding Visa Appointment Pause
- If you already have a visa appointment, plan to attend it as scheduled.
- Check regularly to see if visa appointments have become available.
- Once new visa appointments become available, schedule as early as possible.
- Admitted students and incoming scholars should continue submitting required documents to obtain the I-20 or DS-2019.
- ISSS will continue to issue I-20 and DS-2019 forms during this temporary pause.
Suspension of Visa Issuance to 19 Travel Ban Countries (Updated 06/07/2025)
Read: June 7, 2025 DOS Visas News Posting
Resource: NAFSA: Association of International Educators
On June 7, 2025, the Department of State issued a posting suspending visa issuance in line with the Presidential Proclamation which instituted travel bans for 19 countries.
Effective June 9, 2025, The Department of State is fully suspending visa issuance to nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen for all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa categories with limited exceptions.
Effective June 9, 2025, The Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions.
The posting clarifies that this does not apply to those who hold valid visas, issued before June 9, and it does not prevent anyone from submitting visa applications (bolded in the original):
“This Presidential Proclamation only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date AND do not hold a valid visa on the effective date (June 9, 2025). Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to the Proclamation. No visas issued before June 9, 2025, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation.
Visa applicants who are subject to this Presidential Proclamation may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.”
Recent Statement from Secretary of State Regarding Chinese Student Visas (Updated 06/11/2025)
On May 28, the Department of State announced plans to revoke visas for Chinese students, specifically those with “connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” “Critical fields” were not defined in the announcement.
The State Department also mentioned plans to “revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.”
On June 11, 2025, The President announced an agreement with China (Reuters) that included protections for Chinese student visas.
International students and scholars from China or Hong Kong who become aware that their visa has been revoked are encouraged to reach out to International Student & Scholar Services for guidance as soon as possible.
International Student & Scholar Services advisors are available during drop-in advising (Zoom or in-person) 11 am – 3 pm, Monday through Thursday, or you may book an appointment to see an advisor.
International Student & Scholar Services will update this page with any additional information as it becomes available.
ISSS Visa Application and Renewal Guidance
- Student Visa Application Info:
- H-1B Visa Application Info
- J-1 Scholar Visa Application Info
- TN Visa Application Info
Be Aware of Scams Posing as Government Agencies
There have been multiple reports from students stating that they have encountered scam activity from scammers posing as DHS, ICE, FBI, etc.
Often the scams are by phone, with the callers spoofing official government phone numbers, or by email with spoofed email addresses.
As a reminder, Homeland Security, ICE, FBI, the Social Security Administration and other government agencies will never contact you by phone or email.
For resources, tips, reporting guidance, and more please see the ISSS Scam Resources Page, and for the latest guidance from UA about scams, please see the OIT Security Alert website.
Executive Orders & Regulatory Actions
For the latest information on EO’s and Regulatory Actions, please see the following resources:
- NAFSA: Association of International Educators – Executive and Regulatory Actions Page
- AILA: American Immigration Lawyers Association – Executive Actions Tracking