January, 2026
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at James Madison University is aware of the January 14, 2026 news posting, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will pause the issuance of immigrant visas at U.S. consulates worldwide starting January 21, 2026 for nationals of 75 countries that DOS deems are "at high risk of public benefits usage." During the pause, DOS will conduct "a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge." The pause impacts only immigrant visa issuance and does not affect nonimmigrant visas such as B tourist visas, F student visas, J exchange visitor visas, H-1B work visas, etc.
The covered countries include: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
We will communicate more information as it becomes available. If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact ISSS directly.
January, 2026
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at James Madison University is aware of the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Policy Memorandum dated January 1, 2026 which describes a hold that USCIS has placed a hold on adjudication of pending benefits requests submitted by applicants whose citizenship or country of birth are from the counties identified in two travel-ban proclamations: Presidential Proclamation 10949 of June 4, 2025 and Presidential Proclamation 10988 of December 16, 2025. We have communicated this information to impacted international students and scholars, as well as relevant stakeholders. We will communicate more information as it becomes available. If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact ISSS directly.
December, 2025
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at James Madison University is aware of the new proclamation issued by U.S. President Donald Trump on December 16, “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”, and the related White House fact sheet.
Full ban countries: Nationals from Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, plus individuals traveling on travel docuemnts issued by the Palestinian Authoriy are subject to a full ban that suspends "entry into the United Staes" as "immigrants and nonimmigrants."
Partial ban countries: Nationals from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d 'Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are subjct to a paritial ban that suspends "entery into the United States" as immigrants and of nonimmigrants on "B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas".
Click here to view the original travel ban announcement.
We have communicated this information to all international students and scholars, as well as relevant stakeholders. We will communicate more information as it becomes available. If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact ISSS directly.
Updated November, 2025
Following initial uncertainty of Proclamation 10973, USCIS issued clarifying guidance on September 20 & 21, 2025, and updated their web site. Our current understanding is that this proclamation does NOT affect current H-1B holders (those with an approved H-1B status or H-1B pending petition filed before Sept. 21, 2025), including:
- Those transferring their H-1B status to JMU from another institution
- Those requiring H-1B extensions at JMU
- International travel – Current H-1B holders may continue to travel without restrictions or additional fees if they hold a current, valid H-1B visa stamp in their passport.
- Current H-1B status holders whose I-129 was filed before September 21, 2025, can proceed with visa stamping regardless of whether they currently have a valid visa stamp.
Updated November, 2025
It is important to remember that many factors influence whether a candidate may ultimately be viable. Additionally, there are several nuances that affect whether the H-1B fee would apply to a new hire. Because of this complexity, committees should not make assumptions or decisions based on sponsorship needs alone, and candidates should not be screened out based on sponsorship.
- Search committees should continue following our established recruitment process:
- All applicants must be evaluated consistently by the same committee members using the same criteria, regardless of their response to the sponsorship question in PageUp.
- A candidate’s response to the sponsorship question must not influence their consideration or candidacy during the recruitment process.
- Committees should not ask follow-up questions regarding sponsorship during recruitment.
- Once a finalist is selected, if sponsorship questions arise, please refer the candidate to Jonathan Kratz, Director of International Student and Scholar Services, in the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) at kratzjx@jmu.edu.
- If a candidate raises sponsorship questions before an offer is made, please also direct them to Jonathan Kratz so CGE can assist appropriately.
More information about Proclamation 10973:
- Proclamation 10973:
- On whitehouse.gov
- Published in the Federal Register at 90 FR 46027 (September 24, 2025)
- A White House Fact Sheet on the Proclamation
- Recent agency guidance:
- USCIS web page on H-1B Specialty Occupation
July, 2025
International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) at James Madison University is aware of the proclamation issued by U.S. President Donald Trump on June 4, 2025, “Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats”, and the related White House fact sheet on Proclamation 10949.
Full ban countries: Nationals from Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen are subject to a full ban that suspends "entry into the United Staes" as "immigrants and nonimmigrants."
Partial ban countries: Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela are subjct to a paritial ban that suspends "entery into the United States" as immigrants and of nonimmigrants on "B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas".
We have communicated this information to all international students and scholars, as well as relevant stakeholders. We will communicate more information as it becomes available. If you have immediate concerns or questions, please contact ISSS directly.