Special Message for International Students and Scholars: Pending Executive Order

This message was sent to international students and scholars on April 22, 2020.

Dear International Students and Scholars,

We hope you all are doing well and staying healthy. As you may have heard, President Trump announced plans last night, Monday, April 20th, to implement an immigration ban. While it’s difficult to interpret a vague, late night tweet, ISSS is closely following reports (New York Times) and monitoring the situation.

We understand the concerns and fears this announcement may bring you. Please know that you have the full support of ISSS and the Wake Forest community during this incredibly stressful time. At this point there is still a lot of uncertainty but we will continue to follow the situation carefully and keep you updated on what this could potentially mean for your current and future immigration status in the U.S. For now, please keep the items below in mind:

-Until an official Executive Order is issued, it’s really difficult to offer any concrete guidance, especially regarding travel. We will share information with you as we receive it so you can make the best decisions for yourself.

– If you are already in the U.S., we are hopeful that the ban is unlikely to affect pending applications filed here, although we can’t be sure yet. We hope to continue filing temporary visa extensions, changes of status, and green card applications for non-immigrants already present in the U.S.

-There will very likely be court challenges and continued uncertainty for the next few months during the COVID-19 crisis, but we will remain transparent and do our best to provide information for you to make the best decision for your particular situation.

Please email iss@wfu.edu if you have any further questions at this time. Be sure you are reading all messages from ISSS to ensure you have the most up-to-date information.

Sincerely,
Your ISSS Team