U.S. Immigration Policy & Regulatory Updates

Last Updated: January 17, 2025

Guidance

The Office of Global Services (OGS) welcomes and supports international students and scholars at Georgetown University. We understand that immigration law can be uncertain and challenging for international students and scholars, and we are here to support you. To help navigate this complexity, we’ve created this page to provide reliable resources, and we will continue to update it with the latest information and guidance.

Key updates to this change include – Ionger cap-gap for students changing status (inside the U.S.) from F-1 to H-1B; and flexibility on H-1B start date and specialty occupation.  

More detailed information: Final H-1B Modernization Rule Slated to Take Effect January 17.

On December 9, 2024, the U.S. Department of State published a regulation updating the Exchange Visitor Skills List (“Skills List”), which removed 37 countries from the list. Some of the countries removed from the list include Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, and Turkey.

The impact is that individuals from removed countries who were previously subject to the J-1 two-year home residency requirement based on the previous Skills List are no longer considered subject to this requirement for that reason.  

Usually, the Consular Officer indicates in the box on the bottom left-hand corner of the initial DS-2019 form whether or not someone is subject to this requirement and the reason why. If an Exchange Visitor was previously marked subject to the two-year rule based on the Skills List on their DS-2019 form and they are from one of the removed countries, they no longer need to comply with this requirement or receive a waiver of it to be able to change their status in the United States. For many, this will be very good news.

Please note that individuals who have received direct government funding will continue to be considered subject to the two-year home residency requirement, and this change does not affect them.

The OGS International Student Services team has shared important reminders and considerations for F-1/J-1 students and alumni planning international travel and reentry during the upcoming holiday season. Please review the relevant information by clicking on the appropriate link below:

The OGS Scholar Team has shared important reminders and considerations for Georgetown sponsored international scholars planning international travel and reentry over the winter break. Link to read the email communication.

President Biden announced the termination of the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Public Health Emergency, effective on May 11, 2023, following the termination of the COVID-19 National Emergency on April 10, 2023. Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions for SEVP Stakeholders Post-COVID-19 for specific information regarding the end of SEVP’s COVID-19 guidance for certified schools.

SEVP originally published its COVID-19 flexibilities to accommodate the national emergencies as they pertained to SEVP-certified schools and nonimmigrant students, including restrictions and disruptions to travel and changes in teaching methods at the time. The flexibilities were always intended as a temporary measure to allow nonimmigrant students to continue their studies with the least disruptions as possible and did not signify or result in a permanent change to the regulations.

Effective June 1, 2020, and until terminated by the President, Proclamation 10043 suspends “entry into the United States as a nonimmigrant of any national of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] seeking to enter the United States pursuant to an F or J visa to study or conduct research in the United States, except for a student seeking to pursue undergraduate study,” and who either:

  • Currently “receives funding from or who currently is employed by, studies at, or conducts research at or on behalf of […] an entity in the PRC that implements or supports the PRC’s ‘military-civil fusion strategy’,” or
  • In the past “has been employed by, studied at, or conducted research at or on behalf of […] an entity in the PRC that implements or supports the PRC’s ‘military-civil fusion strategy’.”

Precise determinations about what connections constitute support of the PRC’s “military-civil fusion strategy” is decided by the U.S. Department of State, which determines visa eligibility, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which determines U.S. admissibility; academic institutions are not involved. A decision of inadmissibility under P10043 cannot be appealed. The full proclamation is available in the U.S. Federal Register.