Immigration President Trump Issues Proclamation Suspending Entry of Certain Chinese Nationals in F or J Status

June 4, 2020
By ISSS

On May 29, President Trump issued an order titled “Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers from the People’s Republic of China.” The proclamation suspends entry by Chinese nationals in F (student) or J (exchange visitor) status who:

  1. seek to pursue graduate studies or research, AND
  2. have received funding from, have been employed by, or have conducted research on behalf of an entity that supports China’s “military-civil fusion strategy.”

Read the full text of the proclamation

The proclamation became effective on June 1, 2020. While the full scope and application of this new regulation are not entirely clear, we know the following:

  • It impacts only those who are outside of the United States at the time of the proclamation.
  • It does not impact those pursuing undergraduate studies or who seek to pursue undergraduate studies.

ISSS is working to assess the impact of this new order on Penn’s Chinese student and scholar community and is meeting with various stakeholders in the coming days to gain a better understanding of its scope. We understand that students and scholars from China have been particularly impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and are striving to provide for their continued success and well-being at Penn.

We thank you for your continued cooperation and will provide updates on the implementation of this proclamation as they become available. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to ISSS.