Following the halt new visa appointments for student and exchange visitors announced last month (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe,  May 2025), the U.S. government introduced a significant shift in its visa and immigration policy. The Executive Order 14161 is rooted in concerns over national security, public safety, and the integrity of the U.S. immigration system. It seeks to prevent the entry of individuals who may pose risks due to terrorism, hostile ideologies, or systemic abuse of visa terms. A core aspect of the policy is the demand for greater cooperation from foreign governments, especially in sharing criminal and terrorist information and maintaining reliable identity documentation. 

The order identifies specific shortcomings in various countries, such as the lack of effective identity-management systems, unwillingness to repatriate nationals ordered removed, and persistently high visa overstay rates. These factors, according to U.S. officials, hinder accurate vetting and signal broader issues of non-compliance or instability. As a result, the order imposes full or partial visa restrictions on 19 countries, each assessed individually based on its cooperation and risk profile. Countries such as Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Chad, Afghanistan, and Haiti are among those facing new travel limitations, based on a combination of security concerns, governance issues, and enforcement challenges. According to the IIE’s Open Doors report, approximately 20,000 international students across the full list of impacted nations were studying in the U.S. last academic year, spanning undergraduate, graduate, non-degree, and Optional Practical Training (OPT) categories. 

Unlike the more ideologically driven 2017 travel ban, the new Executive Order is designed as a permanent and systematized policy tool. It reflects the recommendations of multiple federal agencies, including the Departments of State, Homeland Security, and Justice, and incorporates regular reassessment mechanisms every 180 days. The order includes more detailed exemptions for certain groups, such as athletes, family members, and persecuted minorities, and emphasises the use of empirical data, such as visa overstay rates and document reliability, in decision-making.