News & Announcements

The MIT PDA is excited to host Aaron Bloomberg, partner at Fragomen, a leading immigration law practice in the US and internationally. 

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published a warning about a current scam targeting Chinese communities in the U.S.

On January 31, 2024, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Final Rule to adjust fees for certain immigration and naturalization benefit applications, effective April 1, 2024.

The Department of State has released additional information and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the pilot program to allow certain H-1B nonimmigrants to renew their visas in the U.S.

On December 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (USDHS) announced a final rule that will increase the filing fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for Premium Processing for certain applications, using Form I-907 Request for Premium Processing, due to inflation. The final rule will become effective on applications postmarked, or received via online filing, on or after February 26, 2024.

MIT will be hosting two small, moderated discussion groups for all staff, postdocs, and faculty on Thursday, November 30 and Wednesday, December 6: Processing Your Emotions During Troubling Times.

Two upcoming webinars have been organized for the staff, postdoctoral and faculty community to help with processing distressing events and navigating difficult conversations. Staff members in all roles are welcome. Dates, times, more details, and links to join are available on the Human Resources website (Touchstone required); registration is not required.

UPDATE - November 13, 2023: The new deadline for Congress to pass a long-term spending bill to keep the U.S. government funded is November 17, 2023. Please see below for more information about the potential impact on international students and scholars of a U.S. government shutdown.

he U.S. Embassy in Israel announced that due to the ongoing security situation, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and the Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv are not offering nonimmigrant and immigrant visa services at this time.

As a result of the recent regulatory change allowing for digital signatures and electronic transmission of DS-2019s, ISchO will begin issuing digitally-signed DS-2019s.

On June 17, 2023, the nonimmigrant visa (NIV) application processing fee for visitor visas for business or tourism (B1/B2s and BCCs), and other non-petition based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas (F, M, and J visas), will increase from $160 to $185.