Important Updates

The U.S. Department of State (DoS) has announced expanded vetting of “online presence” for all F and J visa applicants, including students and exchange visitors. As part of this consular process, applicants are required to: Disclose all social media identifiers on the DS-160 visa application Set their social media profiles to “public” for consular review… Read more »

This guidance is for the Northeastern Community on U.S. Campuses.   Please always review OGS’ resources on Travel prior to making plans to travel inside or outside of the U.S. Please continue to review OGS’ Frequently Asked Questions on planning travel (requires NU credentials) June 20, 2025 Update The U.S. Department of State has officially… Read more »

June 20, 2025 – U.S. Department of State Resumes Scheduling F/J Visa Appointments! The U.S. Department of State has officially resumed scheduling visa interviews for F-1 and J-1 student visa applicants. This means that students and scholars can now book their visa appointment at a local U.S. embassy or consulate. This is great news for all incoming… Read more »

The Trump administration has issued a presidential proclamation that will significantly impact international travel and the issuance of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas. Beginning at 12:01 AM EST on June 9, 2025, visa issuance will be suspended for individuals from specific countries. This includes a full suspension for citizens of 12 countries across all visa types… Read more »

The Office of Global Services (OGS) is closely monitoring recent announcements from federal agencies regarding changes to how gender and sex are recorded in immigration systems and on official documents.  What’s changing?  Federal agencies, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), have announced that federal systems will… Read more »

We are writing to share important news regarding F-1 student visa records and SEVP-initiated SEVIS terminations that began surfacing at the end of March 2025. On April 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officially reversed a policy that had led to the mass termination of active SEVIS records for international students across… Read more »

Effective April 11, 2025, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a new rule regarding alien registration. While most international students and scholars at Northeastern are already considered registered, there are specific scenarios in which action may be required. What This Means for Most of Our Community If you are currently in the… Read more »

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced a policy change that may impact international students, scholars, and other noncitizens applying for U.S. immigration benefits. Effective immediately, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will consider involvement in “antisemitic activity”—including social media content that supports or promotes antisemitic terrorism or organizations such as Hamas, Hezbollah,… Read more »

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced on 4/12/2021 that F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) and 24 month STEM Extension of OPT (STEM) can now file online. Please click here for the entire announcement. Please remember that the first step in your application continues to be requesting your OPT or STEM recommendation I-20 form from… Read more »

Northeastern’s College of Professional Studies (CPS) has announced that beginning in Fall 2026, all graduate programs, graduate certificates, and doctoral degrees will transition to a semester-based academic calendar. We understand that prospective and current F-1/J-1 students may have questions about how this may impact their nonimmigrant student status. The Office of Global Services (OGS) has… Read more »