May 2025 Regulatory Updates on Student Visas and Parole Programs

Following a series of rapid developments impacting student visa holders in April, the month of May concluded with significant announcements in this space stemming from the Secretaries of the Department of State (DOS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The policies and process changes introduced by the agencies have the potential to affect not only F and M Students but also J-1 Exchange Visitors.

Additionally, the U.S. federal court system is consistently generating decisions related to various humanitarian programs, providing a challenge to the impacted individuals and their U.S. employers as they attempt to determine what action, if any, is required of them based on the latest court orders. The below provides a summary of the recent actions taken by DOS and DHS as well as important court decisions the last week of May.