UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A new proclamation issued by President Donald Trump on Sept. 24 will add new procedures for immigrants and those seeking to reside permanently in the United States from eight countries, effective Oct. 18. Visitors traveling to the U.S. from Chad, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia will be subject to new screening procedures. Anyone who is a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. and anyone who holds a current U.S. visa will not be affected by the new procedures.
Under the proclamation, visitors from Iran will still be subject to enhanced screening, and the restrictions on visitors from Venezuela apply only to government officials and their families seeking to visit the U.S. Penn State officials are studying the recent presidential proclamation to assess its full impact. Sudan has been removed from the list of countries initially included in the previous executive order. Details of the restrictions vary by country and are outlined here via a frequently asked questions document.
In a Sept. 25 statement, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU), of which Penn State is a member, has reinforced the need to understand the new presidential action in detail, in order to “fully assess its impact on U.S. universities.” The APLU has pointed out that a key question is the fate of the “bona fide connections” provision that “effectively deemed international students with acceptance letters from U.S. universities or employees with a job offer as having a bona fide connection to travel to the United States” after the proclamation takes effect on Oct. 18.
The University will provide more information as it becomes available. Meanwhile, any faculty, staff or student who has concerns regarding individual situations, should contact Penn State’s Office of Global Programs, 814-865-7681, or an adviser to discuss the circumstances.
“Penn State has provided opportunity and education throughout Pennsylvania and benefits tremendously from the contribution of more than 10,000 current international students and scholars from more than 141 countries around the world,” said Michael Adewumi, vice provost for Global Programs. “We recognize the value and contributions of our international students and scholars and we strongly believe that diversity of faculty, staff and students enriches our university and nation, as well as each of us as individuals.”
Penn State Law will host a town hall on the new travel ban at 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 29 in 112 Katz.
To review details about this recent proclamation, visit the White House's fact sheet and frequently asked questions. In addition, a press release can be found here.
Other useful information for Penn Staters can be found here:
- The Center for Immigrants’ Rights at Penn State Law:
- Resources and Links: https://pennstatelaw.psu.edu/practice-skills/clinics/center-immigrants%E2%80%99-rights-clinic/resources-and-links