Presidential Proclamation RE: H-1B and J-1

Presidential Proclamation Limited Visa Issuance for Certain Non-Immigrant Visa Holders

On June 22, 2020, the White House issued a Proclamation suspending travel to the US by individuals who will seek entry to the United States using certain “non-immigrant visas.” 

The Proclamation goes into effect at 12:01am on June 24, 2020 and continues until December 31, 2020 (it is not known at this time whether there will be extensions thereafter). 

Please read the following two paragraphs together in order to understand the implications of the Proclamation.

First, the Proclamation suspends the entry into the United States of any non-US citizen/non-US resident who:

  • is outside the United States on the effective date of this proclamation;
  • does not have a nonimmigrant visa that is valid on the effective date of this proclamation; and
  • does not have another valid official travel document that permits him or her to travel to the United States and seek entry or admission.

Second, if those three conditions apply, then the Proclamation applies to anyone seeking to enter the United States on: 

  1. an H-1B or H-2B visa, or dependents of those visas; 
  2. a J visa, to the extent the individual is participating in an intern, trainee, teacher, camp counselor, au pair, or summer work travel program, and any non-US citizen/non-US resident accompanying or following to join such individual; and
  3. an L visa, and any non-US citizen/non-US resident accompanying or following to join such individual.

The following additional provisions are of particular note:   

  1. Individuals who already have a visa stamp in their passport are exempted from this Proclamation. It does not revoke or otherwise limit H-1B, J, or L visas already issued to individuals. 
  2. It does not prevent or limit processing of work visas such as H-1B, TN, L-1, O-1 or other temporary work visa categories within the United States.  The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is still processing new petitions in all categories, as well as extensions, transfers, or other actions.
  3. It does not limit the entry of any J-1 Student, Scholar, Researcher, Short-Term Scholar, or Professor. 
  4. H-1B and J-1 visas can continue to be issued to individuals whose entry would be in the national interest and any non-US citizen/non-US resident seeking to enter the United States to provide temporary labor or services essential to the United States food supply chain. 

Please read carefully the provisions listed above and refer to the hyperlink on the first paragraph of this message. It is important to indicate that the Proclamation does not impact most J-1 Scholars in categories pertaining to employees or students. In addition, its impact on individual currently inside the United States is minimal. However, in case of doubts, please do not hesitate to contact the Office of International Services (OIS) at OIS@pitt.edu.

As always, the Office of International Services is ready to work with you to protect the members of our community, promote educational and research excellence, and continuously advocate for a humane, fair immigration system in the United States. 

Thank you.