ISSS is closely monitoring recent policy changes announced by the new administration to assess the potential impacts on Penn’s international student and scholar community. Last week, the U.S. State Department issued an announcement that it is taking action to revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and prevent further issuance of visas to South…
On April 8, 2025, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) published a policy brief on Immigration Enforcement Actions Against International Students. This policy brief explains how student visas differ from other nonimmigrant visa types, explores the legal pathways to revoking and terminating a student visa, and explains the due process protections that are available.
Recently, we have learned that at least three people on Penn-sponsored student visas have had their SEVIS records terminated. This means their immigration status has been deactivated in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Notifications were sent through the Department of Homeland Security’s automated systems. AT THIS TIME, IT APPEARS THAT THESE…
SEVIS Termination Notices – What You Need to Know as an International Student at Penn Read This First Update on SEVIS Terminations and Support for International Students Begin F.A.Q. Q1: What does a SEVIS termination mean? It means your F-1 or J-1 immigration record is no longer active. This usually happens when a student is…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced a registration and fingerprinting requirement for non-citizens in the United States. This interim final rule applies to individuals who intend to stay in the U.S. for more than 30 days and have not previously registered or completed fingerprinting. Most international students and scholars at Penn have already met this…
Dear Penn Community, We are aware of reports that international students at universities across the U.S. have received emails from the State Department notifying them that their visas have been revoked and urging them to ‘self-deport.’ ISSS is actively monitoring the situation to verify such reports. ISSS will continue to provide updates as more information…
Read the full announcement. The original announcement was posted on March 12, 2025 by Klasko Immigration Law Partners, LLP. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published Interim Final Rule (IFR) on March 12th requiring non-US citizens to register and be fingerprinted, if they have never been registered or fingerprinted, if they intend to remain in…
This announcement was originally shared on March 18, 2025 and was sent on behalf of John L. Jackson, Jr., Provost, and Ezekiel Emanuel, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives, of the University of Pennsylvania. To the Penn Community: Global engagement is critical to our mission as a leading research university, bringing the world to Penn and…
These free sessions are designed to provide legal guidance and address specific concerns for our international students and scholars. ISSS is offering 30-minute consultation sessions with immigration attorneys from our affiliated law offices for students, scholars, faculty, and staff from countries named in this potential travel ban to discuss specific issues related to their situation.…
We want to bring to your attention reports indicating that a new travel ban may be announced as early as next week. While the specifics are not yet confirmed, the countries expected to be affected include Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. If you are a citizen of one of these countries,…