International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO)

Revised Executive Order Travel Ban: March 6, 2017

• Effective March 16, 2017 and extending for a 90-day period, non-immigrant individuals from six countries (Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia and Yemen), are able to enter the U.S. with a valid visa until March 15, 2017. Non-immigrants from these six countries were only able to the U.S. with a valid visa until March 15, 2017. The Order specifically excludes non-immigrants with a valid visa.
• On March 15, 2017, the U.S. District Court in Hawaii issued a nationwide temporary restraining order, preventing the Government from enforcing Executive Order 13780's 90-day entry bar and 120-day refugee entry bar, which had been scheduled to go into effect on March 16, 2017
• On March 16, 2017, the U.S. District Court in Maryland issued a nationwide preliminary injunction, preventing the Government from enforcing Executive Order 13780's 90-day entry bar, which had been scheduled to go into effect on March 16, 2017.

Decision to travel outside of the U.S. for non-immigrants of the six countries should be made very carefully.

We encourage you to consult with our office (ISSO) at isso@uml.edu or 978-934-2383 before any travel outside of the U.S. Please check the NAFSA Executive Order Travel Advisory for detailed information.

If you are on a non-immigrant status from one of the six countries, please remember that there is no need to travel to renew an expiring visa stamp if you underlying status documents are valid and you are fulfilling the legal requirements of such status. In the interim, please do not travel outside of the U.S. until further information is gathered.

Individuals from the above-mentioned six countries who are not on a UMass Lowell Sponsored visa document should contact their legal counsel or contact someone from this suggested reference list for professional legal advice (pdf).

We urge you to access the executive orders page and contact our office with any questions you may have.

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view any pdf files. It can be download for free from the Adobe website.

Buy American Hire American

According to an April 17, 2017 White House press briefing:

Buy American refers to a set of procurement laws about how goods and manufactured products are obtained and how they’re used in federal projects or federally funded projects.

Hire American generally refers to the body of law and policy concerning how our immigration, visa and guest worker programs are operated to ensure proper protections for American workers.

This NAFSA resource focuses on the "Hire American" provisions of the executive order, particularly those that concern the H-1B Specialty Worker program, which is the standard professional "work visa" category.

NAFSA will update the advisory as both analysis and roll-out develop.

The International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO) is dedicated to the university's commitment to global engagement and inclusion.

ISSO advises over 2,000 international students and scholars who hail from over 60 countries. We assist with cultural adjustment as well as immigration and academic compliance. ISSO works closely with campus-wide offices to ensure the best experience for international students and scholars, including Career Services & Corporate Education Center, Human Resources, Graduate and Undergraduate Admissions, Pathway partners, Study Abroad and Student Affairs. Read more about us.