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

• USCIS – Premium Processing Temporarily Suspended Due to Coronavirus
• Forbes – Social Security Offices Closing Due to Coronavirus
• Inside Higher Ed – Public Charge Rule Allowed to Go Into Effect
• USCIS – Public Charge
• SEVP Policy Guidance on OPT – Determining a Direct Relationship Between Employment and Student's Major Area of Study
• Forbes – ICE Starts Immigration Site Visits For Students On STEM OPT
• Foster – Social Media Question on Visa Applications

Information on Executive Orders from the Current Administration

• Foster – Accrual of Unlawful Presence
• USCIS – Unlawful Presence and Bars to Admissibility
• Foster – Travel Ban Upheld
• U.S. Department of State – Supreme Court Decision on Travel Ban
• Foster – Buy American and Hire American Executive Order
• USCIS – Buy American and Hire American Executive Order
• Office of the Federal Register – Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents

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
• 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.