Resources on Immigration Issues

ISS is working closely with campus partners to support international students facing delays in securing a student visa for the upcoming semester. We recommend that you make the earliest visa appointment available and then contact the consulate or embassy to request an expedited student visa appointment. If you are not able to secure your student visa to arrive on campus by the start of the semester, please follow the flowchart below according to the type of I-20 you currently have. If you need help to understand your I-20 type, please review the common immigration terms page.

Spring 2026 New Students with Initial Attendance or Transfer-pending I-20 flowchart

Spring 2026 Continuing Students with Continued Attendance I-20 flowchart

A visa revocation cancels a prior issued visa and means that the individual can no longer use that visa stamp when seeking entry to the U.S. Students may be (but are not always) notified by the U.S. Department of State or the embassy where they applied for the visa, at the email address they used to apply for the visa.

A SEVIS termination means the student’s F-1 or J-1 record in SEVIS is terminated and they are no longer in valid student status. A Designated School Official (DSO) or Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) would notify a student if their SEVIS record has been terminated.

A visa revocation and SEVIS termination may occur in tandem, or only one may occur.

The U.S. Department of State should inform the visa holder in writing to the email address the visa holder used when they applied for the visa. ISS is not directly notified when a visa is revoked.

A visa revocation means that your visa in no longer valid to enter the U.S., even if the expiration date has not passed. A visa revocation does not mean that you must immediately depart the U.S. However, if your SEVIS status has been terminated and you receive notice that your visa is revoked, you may not hold lawful nonimmigrant student status in the U.S. anymore. If your visa has been revoked and your SEVIS record terminated, you should consult an immigration attorney.

There are different SEVIS status updates that can occur at different times in a student’s SEVIS record life cycle. You can review the different SEVIS status updates on the Common Immigration Terms webpage.

If your SEVIS status is terminated, ISS will send you an email notification through Terra Dotta including the date and reason for termination, as well as resources that may be available to you to act on the terminated record.

23 April 2025 

U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has established a new Form G-325R Alien Registration Form to comply with Executive Order 14159: Protecting the American People Against Invasion. View a summary of the Alien Registration Requirements here.

Most international students, scholars, faculty, and staff have already met this requirement by having a valid U.S. visa at their time of entry to the U.S. and were issued an I-94 Arrival Record. You can learn more about your I-94 record and how to print your most recent I-94 to prove your “alien registration.” Carry a printed copy of your I-94 with you when you travel outside of Madison. 

Who Must File Form G-325R?

• The parent or legal guardian of any dependent of an international student, scholar, faculty, and staff under the age of 14 who was not issued an I-94 Arrival Record and has remained in the U.S. for more than 30 days.  

• • Form G-325R must be filed before the 30 days expires. 

• Any dependent of an international student, scholar, faculty, and staff member who turns age 14 after they entered the U.S.  

• • Form G-325R must be filed within 30 days of the dependent’s 14th birthday. 

• Any alien who did not enter on a U.S. visa, does not have an I-94 Arrival Record, and has remained in the U.S. for more than 30 days.  

• • Form G-325R must be filed before the 30 days expires. 

Read the full details under the “Who Must File” and “How to Determine if You are Already Registered” tabs on the USCIS Alien Registration webpage.

How Do I File Form G-325R?

Form G-325R is only available online. It cannot be submitted by mail. You must create a USCIS online account before filing Form G-325R. 

Step-by-step instructions are found under the “How to Register” tab on the USCIS Alien Registration webpage.

As of October 30, 2025 we do not believe this rule will impact F-1 students. USCIS offers a list of the visa types impacted and there is information specific to “F-1 Foreign Students” toward the bottom of this page: Automatic Employment Authorization Document (EAD) Extension | USCIS

We will continue to monitor and let students know of any changes or impacts.

No, it is our understanding that the January 14 pause only applies to people who are outside of the U.S. who are applying for permanent residency.

This should not affect UW–Madison’s international students or employees on F-1, J-1, and H-1B visas as they are in a non-immigrant status.

If you apply for permanent residency while in the U.S. in non-immigrant status, you also are not impacted by this action, since you would be filling your form I-485 and applying for an “adjustment of status” from within the U.S. and not applying for an immigrant visa at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.

The impacted countries include: 

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, 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 update this FAQ as more information becomes available.

Please refer to this PDF document outlining what you can expect at a U.S. port of entry. The ISSD webpage also offers U.S. Border Entry FAQs with more detailed discussion of the circumstances you may encounter on entry.

Yes. On December 16, 2025, the White House issued a new proclamation restricting and limiting entry of certain foreign nationals. The proclamation continues to apply to the 12 countries listed in the June 2025 proclamation, and adds additional countries to both the full and partial restriction list.

The restrictions will be enforced beginning at 12:01 a.m. EST, Thursday, January 1, 2026.

Yes. On June 4, 2025, the White House issued a proclamation fully restricting entry to the U.S. for travelers from twelve countries, and partially restricting entry for travelers from another seven countries. The restrictions will be enforced as of Monday, June 9, 2025.

What you can do:

• Remain aware of these circumstances by watching reputable media and U.S. government sources for updates.
• Consider whether any travel outside of the U.S. during spring break could prevent your return to UW–Madison for the remainder of the spring semester.

This is developing information. ISS will email F-1 and J-1 passport holders of any affected countries, and IFSS will email H-1B and J-1 visa holders of any affected countries, should travel restrictions go into effect, and update the Resources on Immigration Issues webpage.

On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14161 directing the U.S. Secretary of State and others to submit a report “identifying countries throughout the world for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries” by March 21, 2025.

While there have been media reports speculating which countries might be subject to a future travel ban, the U.S. government has not issued any active travel bans as of March 18, 2025.

International Faculty and Staff Services (IFSS) and International Student Services (ISS) have very specific roles, expertise, and responsibilities at the university. The LPR category is not part of either office’s portfolio. To our knowledge, no UW–Madison office advises individuals on their permanent resident status.

If a UW-Madison student or employee has questions about their permanent resident status and traveling outside the U.S., they are encouraged to contact a private immigration attorney. The State Bar of Wisconsin has an attorney referral service, available here.  The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) also has a search tool available.

The following is a list of resources that may be available to assist and support individuals with questions and circumstances about permanent resident status in the context of international travel. Additionally, ISS maintains a webpage that may provide useful context and other relevant links: Resources on Immigration Issues – International Student Services – UW–Madison.

IFSS and ISS do not endorse or otherwise adopt the viewpoint of any non-UW–Madison resource listed below. The list is not exhaustive and is meant for informational purposes only.

USCIS After the green card is granted

USCIS Rights and Responsibilities

American Immigration Lawyer Association (AILA)

• Know your rights when re-entering the U.S.
• Protecting Your Permanent Residency

Immigration Matters: Your U.S. Compliance Roadmap | Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP

Any student or employee considering travel is encouraged to remain aware of current circumstances by watching reputable media and U.S. government sources for updates. You might also consider whether any travel outside of the U.S. could prevent the timely return to campus and decide on travel plans accordingly.

Current wait times vary depending on the country where you apply for the visa. Use this link from the U.S. Department of State website to check the Global Visa Wait Times for the country or post at which you apply.

The U.S. Department of State has informed ISS that letters of support issued by ISS do not impact a student’s visa application. You should present the admission and immigration documents issued to you by UW-Madison to support your visa application and interview.

The new U.S. Department of State immigration policy announced June 18 requires consular officers to conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting of all F, M, and J visa applicants, especially their online presence, to identify applicants “who bear hostile attitudes toward [the U.S.], its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles; and those who advocate for, aid, or support designated foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or who perpetrate unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.” 

This requirement includes F-1 student and J-1 exchange visitor visa applicants.  

Be as transparent and truthful as possible throughout every part of the process, disclose any indiscretions, and ensure that your documents, statements, and online presence are all consistent and accurate. 

Yes, the U.S. Department of State readily acknowledges that the new processes likely will increase processing times for F and J student and exchange visitor visa applications.  

You must indicate on your DS-160 application your social media accounts and online presence from the past five years. You will be asked to set your social media accounts to “public” or other similar accessible/viewable settings; and you will be reminded that if access to your accounts remains limited in any manner, including visibility of all parts of your online presence, then that can be construed as an effort to evade or hide certain activity.

Any indications of “hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States, or advocacy for, aid, or support for designated foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security; or of support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.”  

The reviewing official is also looking for any inconsistencies between what is discovered during online/social media vetting and how you, as the applicant, presented yourself in application materials, in your supporting evidence, and/or during the interview.  All inconsistencies will be considered to determine whether it represents an intention to deceive the reviewing official and undermine the application process. 

No, your entire online presence is reviewable under the new policies.  An “applicant’s entire online presence – not just social media activity – [may be reviewed]; using any appropriate search engines or other online resources.”

If the reviewing official is unable to review any aspect of an applicant’s online presence because social media accounts are set to “private” or otherwise have limited access, the case will be treated as any other where an applicant fails to provide certain requested information. The reviewer may conclude such failure to comply reflects evasiveness or otherwise calls into question the applicant’s credibility. This may result in the denial of your visa application.  

International Student Services, International Faculty and Staff Services and the International Division put together a PDF of resources that you may find useful. The PDF may be updated (most recently on April 14, 2025) so please refer to the date at the bottom of the document to confirm you are looking at the most up-to-date document.

International Faculty and Staff Services put together a PDF of resources that you may find useful. The PDF may be updated (most recently on April 29, 2025) so please refer to the date at the bottom of the document to confirm you are looking at the most up-to-date document.

You can find information on the Protest and Activism: Know Your Rights page.