Penn administrators acknowledged in a Wednesday email that the federal halt on student visa interviews may cause delays for incoming international students.
In the May 28 email, sent to incoming international students, Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel and Associate Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Amy Gadsden said that Penn "will work flexibly" with students who may experience "arrival delays" as a result of the interview halt. The email follows an internal Department of State memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ordering United States embassies worldwide to halt scheduling interviews for student visa applicants.
The memo instructs embassies to remove all unfilled interview appointments for F, J, and M visa seekers worldwide, while allowing current appointments to proceed. The suspension will remain “until further guidance is issued."
F-1 visas are for students enrolling in traditional academic programs, J-1 visas are for exchange programs, and M-1 visas are for vocational programs. The cable notes that previously scheduled interviews can proceed.
Currently, Penn is home to 9,143 international students and scholars across the University and international students comprise 18% of the undergraduate body. According to a press release from Penn Admissions, the Class of 2029 includes students from more than 100 countries and all 50 states.
A request for comment was left with a University spokesperson.
International students typically apply for F-1 or J-1 visas and the necessary immigration documents, such as Form I-20 or DS-2019, after receiving admission. The State Department has required visa applicants to provide their social media identifiers as part of the vetting process since 2019.
This federal pause arrives amid ongoing tensions between the U.S. government and several elite universities following previous efforts by the Trump administration to restrict international enrollment and visa approvals, some of which have been challenged and blocked in federal courts.
On May 22, the Trump administration terminated Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification, blocking Harvard from enrolling international students and instructing current international students to transfer to another university or lose their legal status in the United States.
Penn reaffirmed support for international students following the order in an email sent to the international community last week.
A federal judge blocked the administration’s decision on May 23 with a restraining order, temporarily stopping the decertification and enrollment restriction. The action followed a lawsuit filed earlier that day, where Harvard denounced the “immediate and devastating” order.
While a State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the cable, they told The Herald, Brown University’s student newspaper, that “the Trump administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process. Since 2019, the Department of State has required visa applicants to provide social media identifiers on immigrant and nonimmigrant visa application forms. We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting."
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