On Friday, September 19, ISSS Director Martin McFarlane sent the following message to active H-1Bs:
This evening, Friday, September 19, the White House issued a Presidential Proclamation restricting certain entries into the United States for nonimmigrant workers with H1-B visas. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is carefully evaluating the proclamation and its potential impacts on our international community.
Until further guidance is available, we strongly recommend that H-1B visa holders avoid travel outside the United States, as reentry to the United States may be restricted. We further recommend that any H-1B visa holder currently outside the United States attempt to return before the effective date of the proclamation, 11:01 p.m. central time on Saturday, September 20.
ISSS will continue to monitor developments and share more information when the details of this proclamation have been clarified.
Sincerely,
MARTIN MCFARLANE
Director, International Student and Scholar Services