The International Student Office (ISO) closely monitors international affairs, immigration policy changes, and governmental announcements. ISO will communicate and provide guidance to F-1 students regarding regulatory updates that may impact F-1 students and the ACC community. International and immigration updates will be shared on this website.
Refer to the F-1 Students – Travel Outside the U.S. for travel tips and other general immigration policy reminders.
On December 16, 2025, the White House released a presidential proclamation and fact sheet that continued or added restrictions on visa issuance and entry to the U.S. for 40 countries. Please review the proclamation and fact sheet for full details; exceptions apply. The following countries and/or groups are affected starting at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 1, 2026:
Continued Full Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries – The entry into the United States of nationals of the following countries continues to be suspended and limited.
- Afghanistan
- Burkina Faso
- Burma
- Chad
- Congo
- Equatorial Guinea
- Eritrea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Laos
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Palestinian Authority issued or endorsed travel documents
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Yemen
Partial Suspension of Entry for Nationals of Countries – The entry into the United States of nationals of the following countries is hereby suspended and limited, as follows, subject to the categorical exceptions and case-by-case waivers described.
- Angola
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Benin
- Burundi
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Gabon
- The Gambia
- Malawi
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Tanzania
- Tonga
- Togo
- Turkmenistan
- Venezuela
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
What does this mean?
- Citizens of the above mentioned countries who are outside of the U.S. without a valid visa as of January 1, 2026 will be affected by the visa suspensions and entry bans/restrictions.
- Citizens of the above mentioned countries who are currently inside the U.S. and/or have a valid visa, might be able to enter the U.S. after international travel, but this is not guaranteed. You should expect increased scrutiny at the port of entry and have plans in case of being denied entry to the U.S.
- The order also specifically states that visas issued before the effective date will not be revoked based on the executive order.
Effective March 30, 2026 the Department of State will expand online presence review to include applicants in the following additional nonimmigrant visa classifications: all A-3, C-3 (if a domestic worker), G-5, H-3, H-4 dependents of H-3, K-1, K-2, K-3, Q, R-1, R-2, S, T, and U. These are in addition to the H-1B applicants and their dependents, and the F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visa applicants already subject to this review.
To facilitate this vetting, all applicable applicants are instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to “public” or “open.”
The Department uses all available information in visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security or public safety. We conduct thorough vetting of all visa applicants.