On Friday, May 29, 2020, President Trump signed a proclamation suspending entry into the U.S. for F or J students and some researchers from China who may have affiliation to certain universities in China with ties to the military. The proclamation applies to graduate level or higher students and researchers from China applying for visas or seeking entry to the U.S. who:

receiving funding from or who are currently employed by, study at, or conduct research at or on behalf of; or
have been employed by, studied at, or conducted research at or on behalf of, an entity in China that implements or supports the Chinese military-civil fusion strategy.

The current proclamation does not apply to undergraduate students or to U.S. permanent residents. At present, the proclamation does not apply to individuals in the U.S. in F or J visa status. However, the proclamation indicates the Secretary of State will review and determine if current visa holders subject to the proclamation may have their visas revoked.

Over the course of the past week, OIA and others have been working to further understand the impact of this proclamation. The U.S. Department of State has released a transcript of a State Department briefing with Senior State Department officials discussing this proclamation. The State Department briefing highlights the following:

a list of institutions in China with ties to the military will likely not be released or made available;
the affected areas of study/research are broad and also not clearly defined;
it remains unclear whether the U.S. government intends to revoke visas for students or scholars already in the U.S. and pursuing academic or research programs; and
administration of this proclamation will happen at the time a new student or scholar applies for a visa from a U.S. consulate or embassy - review will take place at that time.

OIA is working closely with other U.S. institutions and higher education associations to learn more about the implementation of this proclamation. We understand that this proclamation is likely to cause additional concern in already uncertain times for both students and scholars who are already here and for those who are preparing now to begin their academic programs or research at the University of Chicago in the coming months. OIA continues to monitor the situation and will update this page with developments as they become available. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to OIA Director, Nick Seamons.

Related resources and information:

Preliminary analysis of the proclamation by AILA (Association of Immigration Attorneys)
Additional analysis by NAFSA: Association of International Educators can be found here.

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