Important Immigration Updates

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

• ICE – SEVIS Fee Increase for F-1 Students and J-1 Exchange Visitors goes into effect June 24, 2019
• NAFSA – Social Media Question on Visa Applications
• Inside Higher Ed - International students facing longer wait times for OPT

Information on Executive Orders from the Current Administration

• NAFSA – Current Administration Executive Actions Summary Page
• NAFSA – Accrual of Unlawful Presence
• NAFSA – Indefinite Entry Bar Under Executive Order
• NAFSA – Executive Order Travel Ban: NAFSA Resources
• Foster – Travel Ban Upheld
• NAFSA – Buy American Hire American Executive Order
• NAFSA – Suspension of the Visa Interview Waiver Program

Additional Resources

• Foster – Immigration News
• Foster – FAQ on International Travel
• Foster – Increased Scrutiny and Possible Delays in Visa Issuance
• Foster – Carry-On Restrictions for Certain Flights to the United States
• NAFSA – Practical Immigration Concepts (Helpful clarification on taxonomy of immigration topics)
• NAFSA – Directing International Students and Scholars to Resources on their Rights in Encounters with Law Enforcement
• 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.