Published on Feb 6, 2020
On January 31, 2020, President Trump signed a presidential proclamation suspending certain immigrant visa issuance to foreign nationals from several countries, with some exceptions. Immigrant visas allow persons to enter the U.S. as permanent residents (green card holders). Nonimmigrant visas (e.g., F-1, J-1, H-1B) are not impacted by the latest presidential proclamation.
The effective date of the proclamation is February 21, 2020. The Office of International Affairs will continue to monitor the situation and will convey any relevant updates and new information.
Key components of the new presidential proclamation:
- Foreign nationals from Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar (Burma), and Nigeria will not be issued any immigrant visas under the new order, with the exception of Special Immigrant visas based on having provided assistance to the U.S. government.
- Foreign nationals from Sudan and Tanzania will not be issued Diversity Lottery immigrant visas. They are still eligible for other types of immigrant visas, however, including those pursuant to family-based and employment-based immigrant visa petitions.
The new proclamation provides exemptions for the following:
- Current U.S. lawful permanent residents (green card holders);
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a non-restricted country;
- Foreign nationals who hold a valid U.S. visa (e.g. F-1, J-1, H-1B, etc.) or advance parole; and
- Those who are physically in the United States or hold a valid visa or other travel document on the effective date of the new proclamation.
If you have questions or would like to discuss any of the above, please reach out to OIA Director, Nick Seamons (nseamons@uchicago.edu).