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Announcements : Travel Ban and Visa Restrictions

Announcement: Travel Ban and Visa Restrictions

Updates on travel restrictions to the United States.
Resumption of New Visa Appointments
U.S. Consulates and embassies have reportedly resumed visa appointments. Social Media vetting will be part of the visa process. A summary of this new requirement can be found HERE.  As a result, you may not be able schedule an appointment for a student visa at this time. However, if you already have an appointment scheduled for a student visa, our understanding is that you should keep that appointment. There is no indication on how long this policy will be in place. We will be monitoring the situation closely and will let you know when visa appointments resume. You should also monitor the visa application section of the website for the Embassy/Consulate you plan to apply through for further updates. Please make sure you notify us if you are granted or denied a student visa by email at isss@kent.edu. Visiting and exchange students should email inboundstudyabroad@kent.edu.

Travel Ban
In addition, the U.S. presidential administration has announced that beginning June 9th, 2025, citizens from certain countries will no longer be eligible for certain visas. Some of the countries are designated as a total ban, meaning that no new visas will be issued, and some are subject to a partial ban, meaning that only certain kinds of visas are affected. However, because citizens from countries with either designation will not be granted either a student (F-1) visa or exchange visitor (J-1) visa, we have combined the list of affected countries.
  1. Afghanistan
  2. Burma
  3. Burundi
  4. Chad
  5. Cuba
  6. Equatorial Guinea
  7. Eritrea
  8. Haiti
  9. Iran
  10. Laos
  11. Libya
  12. Republic of the Congo
  13. Sierra Leone
  14. Somalia
  15. Sudan
  16. Togo
  17. Turkmenistan
  18. Venezuela
  19. Yemen
Our understanding is that this ban is applicable only to nationals of these countries who are outside the U.S. and without a valid visa as of June 9, 2025. Individuals who are inside the United States on June 9, 2025, or who are outside the United States on that date but have a visa that is valid as of June 9, 2025, would likely not be covered by the ban. The proclamation also states that "No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa issued before the applicable effective date of this proclamation shall be revoked pursuant to this proclamation." Another important exception is for dual nationals who are traveling on a passport issued by a country that is not on the list.
We understand that this proclamation will cause distress and even hardship for some of our current and future students. We will continue to monitor the situation and update you as more details become available.
You can read the Proclamation here.