Department of State Shortens Validity of Temporary Visas for over 50 Countries

On July 17, 2025, NAFSA, a nonprofit policy advocate, released a report detailing the Department of State’s (DOS) recent actions to shorten temporary visa validity periods. DOS’s changes will affect multiple temporary visa types for nationals of over 50 countries.  

In most cases, DOS has shortened temporary visa validity to only 3 months and a single entry. In practice, this means applicants receiving a shortened visa must enter the US within 3 months of their visa issuance and will have to reapply for a visa before each entry to the US.

A full list of the more than 50 affected countries can be found in NAFSA’s report; the list includes Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

With some variations, affected visa types include B, F, H, J, M, O, and P visas.

F visas are utilized by international students in the US. The H-1B visa is open to employees filling US positions that require Bachelor’s degrees, which include healthcare occupations such as Medical Technologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and even Registered Nurses.

Although DOS did not make an announcement of its sweeping temporary visa limitations, individual visa validity periods by country are updated on the DOS’s visa reciprocity website. Speak with an MU attorney if you have questions about your visa validity.

Analysis of Current RFE Trends And How To Get Your Case Approved

MU Law will be hosting a free webinar for our clients and friends on Wednesday November 13, 2019 at 2PM / 11AM PT. Interested clients and friends can register for our webinar by clicking on the link below.

Register Here

This webinar will provide an analysis of current RFE trends and how to beat the USCIS’s RFE and get your case approved.   

Webinar Agenda:

1.   H-1B issues

·       Specialty Occupation

·       Availability of Work

·       Right to Control

2.   I-140 Issues

·       Bona Fide Offer

·       Ability to Pay

3.   I-485 Issues

·       Maintenance of Status

o   F-1 to Green Card

o   H-1B to Green Card

4.   Q&A

PLEASE JOIN US! 

H-4 EAD ELIMINATION REGULATION TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

As we have mentioned several times, the Trump Administration  is seeking to eliminate 90,000 lawful jobs by ending the H-4/EAD rule.  This rule, which was first passed in February 2015, provides work authorization to spouses of H-1B workers, provided that the H-1B worker has an approved I-140. 

USCIS sent the new regulation, "Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization," to the Office of Management and Budget on February 20, 2019.  It is currently pending review. OMB is expected to publish a Notice of proposed rulemaking in the near future, although OMB has not released a timeline.  The publication of the notice will allow the public to offer notice and comment.  

After the notice and comment period, USCIS must review and consider the public’s comments, before publication of the final rule.  Unfortunately, it is not expected that the public’s comments will materially change the new rule’s core goal: the elimination of the H-4/EAD.

This needless attack against lawful workers is further proof that the Trump Administration is not at all interested in legal immigration, despite the President’s public statements.  The reality is that the President and his administration are only interested in harming immigrants: lawful and otherwise.