On August 12 and August 24, 2026, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued broadcast messages(link) to Designated School Officials setting out a narrower interpretation of when Curricular Practical Training may be considered an integral part of an established curriculum. Under this interpretation, CPT should be authorized only where the practical training is required of every student in the program, and the degree cannot be completed without it.
On July 17, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a final rule to change the current I-94 Duration of Status (D/S) to instead issue an exact date in which an individual can be in the U.S. lawfully for F and J nonimmigrants students and scholars.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced a policy update on December 12th, 2025 introducing enhanced photo and identity verification procedures for certain immigration benefit applications, including Form I-765 (Application for Employment Authorization), which is used for Optional Practical Training (OPT).
On December 16, 2025 the White House issued a modification to Presidential Proclamation 10949 expanding the restriction on entry for specific foreign nationals to include 7 additional new countries and Palestinian issued travel documents to the full ban list and placing partial restrictions on 15 additional countries. This expanded ban takes effect at 12:01 AM EDT on January 1st, 2026. The following countries will be added to the original list shared earlier in the article:
On December 2, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a Policy Memorandum titled “Hold and Review of all Pending Asylum Applications and all USCIS Benefit Applications Filed by Aliens from High-Risk Countries.” The memorandum includes the following directives, which go into effect immediately: