IMMIGRATION & VISA POLICIES
Impacts of COVID-19
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) July 6 guidance stating that international students enrolled in educational programs that opt to go online-only this fall — which many universities are doing due to safety concerns regarding COVID-19 — will need to either leave the country or transfer to a school with an in-person option.
- Responses to July 6 ICE guidance from universities, from states and Washington, D.C., including lawsuits. AAAS issued its own statement and joined several of its affiliate organizations in opposing the policy.
- AAAS CEO Sudip Parikh editorial in Science titled "Immigrants help make America great."
- On July 14, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reversed its controversial policy that would have prohibited foreign students who enrolled in online-only university programs in the fall from entering or remaining in the country.
- Letter from 45 Higher-education Institutions Requesting Increased Protections for International Students, July 22, 2020.
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued guidelines clarifying visa policies for foreign national students. The updated guidance states that "new or initial nonimmigrant students who intend to pursue a full course of study that will be conducted completely online will likely not be able to obtain an F-1 or M-1 visa to study in the United States. July 24, 2020.
Travel Bans
- Executive Order 13769 of January 27, 2017 (Travel Ban 1.0, 90-day travel ban).
- Executive Order 13780 of March 6, 2017 (Travel Ban 2.0, 90-day travel ban). Litigation to stop WH from implementing Travel Ban 2.0 was considered "moot" by SCOTUS because it was a revision to 1.0. But still on SCOTUS agenda. Argument that it was bias and discrimination against a single religious group.
- Proclamation 9645 of September 24, 2017; (Travel Ban 3.0, Indefinite travel ban) Travel Ban 3.0 is currently in effect, and limits entry to the United States by certain citizens of seven countries: Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen, and Somalia. An eighth country, Chad, was removed from this list effective April 10, 2018. The Travel Ban 3.0 restrictions on the remaining seven countries are country-specific and tailored to the situation of each individual country. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld Travel Ban 3.0 on June 26, 2018.
DACA. In 2017, President Trump rescinded the DACA immigration amnesty program, which led to court challenges, a preliminary injunction to allow the program to continue and an appeal by the federal government against the injunction. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on November 12. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), along with over 30 other organizations, filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in preparation for the case regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
IMMIGRATION & VISAS RESOURCES
- NASEM International Visitors Office (IVO). The IVO is a program operated by the Board on International Scientific Organizations. The IVO serves as a resource on visa-related issues for The National Academies, Academy members, as well as scientists and students traveling to the United States for professional activities. http://sites.nationalacademies.org/pga/biso/visas/
- NAFSA Policy Resources: NAFSA is the largest association of professionals committed exclusively to advancing international education. The Policy Resources page provides links to policy recommendations, relevant trends, data and reports from NAFSA members, as well as other scholars, officials, and partners in the field of international education.
- NAFSA Resources on White House Immigration Actions.
- Open Doors Data Portal. Here you will find data tables for the past decade on international students and scholars in the United States and on American students studying abroad for academic credit.
ANALYSES/REPORTS
- "Export Controls: State and Commerce Should Improve Guidance and Outreach to Address University-Specific Compliance Issues," Government Accountability Office, May 2020.
- "Research Collaboration in an Era of Strategic Competition," Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), September 2019
- CRS Report on Confucius Institutes: Confucius Institutes in the United States: Selected Issues," April 15, 2019
- International Perspectives "EU-China — A Strategic Outlook," European Commission to the European Council, March 2019.
- "China and the Age of Strategic Rivalry: Highlights from an Academic Outreach Workshop," Canadian Security Intelligence Service, May 2018.
- "Fundamental Research Security,"; JASON Study, National Science Foundation, December 2019.
GOVERNMENT RESOURCES & POLICIES
- OSTP Joint Committee on Research Environments (JCORE), July 2019.
- OSTP Director Kelvin Droegemeier's Letter to the Research Community, September 2019.
- Department of Defense (DOD) memo on Reporting Requirements for Protecting Intellectual Property, Controlled Information, Key Personnel and Critical Technologies, March 2019.
- Department of Energy(DOE) memo on Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, January 2019
- National Institutes of Health (NIH) Advisory Committee to the Director (ACD) Working Group for Foreign Influences on Research Integrity, Report on Foreign Influence, December 2018.
- NIH Office of Inspector General: Opportunities Exist for the NIH to Strengthen Controls in Place to Permit and Monitor Access to Its Sensitive Data, February 2019.
- NIH Policies on Financial Conflicts of Interest and Foreign Components, July 2019.
- NSF Dear Colleague Letter on Research Protections, July 2019.
- NSF Personnel Policy on Foreign Government Talent Recruitment Programs, July 2019
- NIST Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information.
- Department of Education Foreign Gift and Contracting Report Guidelines
CONGRESSIONAL ACTIONS
- "Threats to the U.S. Research Enterprise: China's Talent Recruitment Plans"; Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations; November, 2019.
- House version does include the Securing American Science and Technology Act (SASTA), HR 3038;
- Senator Cornyn's Secure American Research Act of 2019 (S. 2133);