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USCIS Pauses Adjudications for 19 Countries of Concern
Dec. 10, 2025—December 2, 2025 – Citing national security concerns following the recent attack in DC, a USCIS memo indicated it will pause adjudicating benefit applications for individuals from the 19 countries listed in the Presidential Proclamation 10949 while it conducts a review. USCIS has stated that this may apply to both immigrant and nonimmigrant benefit requests and could include...
DHS Proposes Significant Expansion of Biometric Data Collection and Use
Dec. 10, 2025—On November 3, 2025 DHS proposed expanding biometric data collection to include palm prints, facial and voice recognition, eye scans, and DNA. If finalized, the rule would require ongoing screening for foreign nationals with immigration benefits and extend collection to certain U.S. citizens and those under 14. You can read the proposed rule here, and...
USCIS Clarifies $100,000 H-1B Fee
Dec. 10, 2025—On October 20, 2025, USCIS issued guidance clarifying the September 19 Presidential Proclamation, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigration Workers.” Valid H-1B holders abroad and most change of status, amendment, or extension petitions are exempt from the $100,000 fee. However, questions still remain. You can find an FAQ here. If you have any questions, please...
Proposed Weighted Selection Process for H-1B Visas
Dec. 10, 2025—On September 24, 2025 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed replacing the H-1B lottery with a wage-based system favoring higher-paid, higher-skilled workers. Cap-exempt institutions like VU are not directly affected, but it could impact international graduates and early career professionals. Vanderbilt University submitted a public comment which you can read here. To read more...
DHS Proposed Rule – Updates to Forms I-17 and I-20
Dec. 10, 2025—On September 3, 2025 DHS proposed major revisions to Forms I-17 and I-20 to expand reporting requirements for schools and students. Examples include more data on ownership, enrollment, delivery methods, degree conferral dates, and CPT. You can find more information about the proposed changes here.
DHS Proposed Rule: Ending Duration of Status (D/S) for F and J Visas
Dec. 10, 2025—On August 25, 2025, DHS proposed a rule to end Duration of Status (D/S) for F and J visa holders. NAFSA has released an explainer document you can read for more details on this proposed rule. On September 29, 2025, Vanderbilt University submitted submitted a formal comment to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security expressing our...
USCIS Guidance on Discretionary Factors and Social Media Vetting
Dec. 10, 2025—On August 19, 2025, USCIS announced policy manual updates on how officers apply discretionary factors in benefit requests. The changes address compliance with immigration laws, past parole requests, national security concerns, and expand social media vetting. This applies to pending and new cases. For more information, please refer to this summary from Ogletree Deakins.
Visa Updates – Social Media Vetting, Visa Reciprocity Updates, and New Visa Integrity Fee
Dec. 10, 2025—Since early summer 2025, there have been several updates to the visa process. Please see a summary of those updates below. ISSS also hosted an International Travel Webinar in November 2025 which highlights several of these updates. You can view the recording to the webinar here. As always, contact us with questions. Visa Wait Times...
Presidential Proclamation 10949 – Travel Ban Impacting 19 Countries
Dec. 10, 2025—As of June 9, 2025 Presidential Proclamation 10949 established a travel ban on 19 countries – fully banning entry from 12 and partially restricting B, F, M, J, and immigrant visas from 7 others. Those inside the U.S. on June 9, 2025 or holding valid visas as of that date, are not impacted. At Vanderbilt University, Iran has the...
Performance Night, World on Wednesday and more March events!
Mar. 8, 2023—We hope that mid-terms are going well for you! As you finish mid-terms and finalize your spring break plans, we wanted to remind you of a few upcoming events this month: Employment Options for International Students: What Employers Should Know: This workshop will give employers a general overview of CPT, OPT/STEM OPT, and Academic Training; additionally,...
ChatELC Spring Registration Now Open!
Jan. 11, 2018—Spring Registration for Vanderbilt chatELC is now open! Vanderbilt chatELC is a program designed to support the development of English fluency, situational English, and cultural competency of spouses and partners of current Vanderbilt students, faculty, and staff through semi-structured English conversation groups. The conversation groups will be led by Group Leaders from the Vanderbilt community...
P.E.O International Peace Scholarship
Oct. 17, 2017—The International Peace Scholarship Fund, established in 1949, is a program which provides scholarships for selected women from other countries for graduate study in the United States and Canada. The scholarship is awarded to female international students pursuing graduate studies with demonstrated financial need. If you are interest, please to go to the website (http://www.peointernational.org/about-peo-international-peace-scholarship-ips)...
Join the Undergraduate Honor Council
Oct. 17, 2017—Hi! My name is Aditi, and I am a senior at Vanderbilt. I am the First-Year Outreach Chair of the Undergraduate Honor Council (UHC). Like you, I am also an international student (from India!). Before coming to Vanderbilt, I didn’t know a whole lot about the Honor Code and the Honor Council system in the...
Boo to the Flu
Oct. 17, 2017—“Boo to the Flu” is a festive flu vaccination event to be held on the Vanderbilt University Campus Tuesday, October 24th from 5-8 p.m.at the Student Health Center. The influenza vaccine is a benefit for everyone. Yearly flu vaccination helps to reduce sick time, medical costs and the spread of flu. The best defense against...
Submit a Proposal for IEW 2017
Oct. 17, 2017— International Education Week (IEW) will take place from November 13-17th this year and will feature a collaborative calendar of diverse programs across campus. A joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education, IEW is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide, while seeking to advance...
Vanderbilt MPH Program Information Sessions
Oct. 17, 2017—The Vanderbilt Master of Public Health (MPH) Program is a two-year interdisciplinary program offered through the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. Since 1996, the program has been training future research scientists and public health professionals to be leaders and innovators dedicated to improving public health...
Art History in Real Time: Archiving Cai Guo-Qiang
Oct. 3, 2017—The Asian Studies Program and the Department of History of Art present as part of Global/Asia: Celebrating 50 Years of Asian Studies at Vanderbilt Art History in Real Time – Archiving Cai Guo-Qiang A presentation by Lydia Ohl (VU class 2011) in conjunction with the screening of Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang Thursday,...
Home for the Holidays Applications Are Open!
Oct. 3, 2017—Home for the Holidays is a collaborative program between Parent and Family Programs and International Student and Scholar Services which allows undergraduate students the opportunity to join the family of a current Vanderbilt student at their home during one of the university’s scheduled holiday breaks. The recommended length of stay is 4 days, though this...
The Foreign Language Edge: Vanderbilt and Beyond
Oct. 3, 2017—Interested in linguistics? Are you multilingual? Interested in the culture associate with languages? Check out an information fair and panel discussion regarding how to leverage your foreign language and experiences abroad on the job market. You can also explore career paths and learn how to maximize your foreign language edge at Vanderbilt. Events will take place...
McTyeire Fireside Chat: “Responding to the North Korea Crisis”
Sep. 18, 2017— Attend the McTyeire Fireside Chat by Brett Benson, Associate Professor of Political Science Why has North Korea aggressively developed its nuclear program and are there options for addressing it? This talk will discuss the history of Korea’s nuclear program and what factors led to the current crisis. We will explore why North Korea’s ambitions...
Going Global Webinar
Sep. 18, 2017—The Career Center is hosting a Going Global webinar for all undergraduate students. Whether you plan to work in the U.S. or internationally, this 1-hour web-based session will show you how to best utilize Going Global’s career resources. The event will provide an introduction to the career tools and job search resources available from Going...