First and foremost, Rice welcomes all its international students and scholars and is committed to supporting them.

We will continue to update this page with immigration updates and resources, as they develop, regarding the impact on our Rice faculty, students, and staff.

Current Hot Topics

• October 8, 2020 – New Regulation Further Restricts H-1B Visa Program (Foster)
• October 8, 2020 – New Regulation Increases Wage Requirements for H-1B Workers and Certain Green Card Applicants (Foster)
• September 30, 2020 – New Law Creates New Premium Processing Fees and Adjudication Deadlines (Foster)
• September 30, 2020 – Judge Blocks USCIS Fee Increase (Forbes)
• September 25, 2020 – DHS Proposal to Eliminate Duration of Status (D/S) for F and J Visa Holders (NAFSA)
• June 22, 2020 – Presidential Proclamation Suspends Some Immigration to the U.S. (Foster)

Executive Actions Related to COVID-19 from the Current Administration

• Travelers Prohibited from Entry to the United States (cdc.gov)
• Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak (whitehouse.gov)
• President Trump Issues Proclamation Temporarily Suspending Issuance of Immigrant Visas at U.S. Consulates (fosterglobal.com)

Immigration Executive Actions from the Current Administration

• Proclamation on the Suspension of Entry as Nonimmigrants of Certain Students and Researchers from the People's Republic of China (whitehouse.gov)
• Travel Ban (U.S. Department of State)
• Buy American and Hire American Executive Order (USCIS)
• Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents (Office of the Federal Register)

Additional Resources

• Foster – Immigration News
• Foster – FAQ on International Travel
• Foster – Carry-On Restrictions for Certain Flights to the United States
• ACLU – Know Your Rights
• ACLU – Know Your Rights: Immigrants' Rights
• Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
• Library service provider ProQuest is opening its databases to researchers or students who are unable to enter the U.S. because of the travel ban. Please click here for more information.
• Advanced Immigration Workshop Presentations

Best Practices – Experiences shared by Rice Internationals

• An international scholar on an H-1B visa was asked to present a passport at the security check of a domestic flight. Although you may sometimes be able to board domestic flights with a state ID or driver license, you should always carry your passport and other immigration documents with you when traveling outside of Houston.

To share an experience and/or best practice suggestion, please email oiss@rice.edu.

All of Rice University, including the highest levels of our administration, continue to support all international students, scholars, faculty, and staff. To read President Leebron's Message to the Rice Community regarding President Trump's original Travel Ban Executive Order, please click here.