Compliance Management

Visa Options and Strategies for Academic Clinical Programs

One of the more complicated challenges that international offices face is providing visa options for short-term trainees, students, and visitors with patient or animal care responsibilities. This text-based Q&A session provided perspectives from a variety of institutions on managing visitors with

Coronavirus Critical Resources

August 24, 2023

NAFSA assembled these resource links to help navigate issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. This content is being maintained for reference purposes.

Community Colleges and Best Practices for Working with Financial Aid Offices

Contributors: Casandra Rubio, Study Abroad Administrative Specialist, Mt. San Antonio College John Morris, Study Abroad Specialist, Citrus College Jerry Hensel, IT Professor and Study Abroad Faculty Program Leader, Valencia College Community college education abroad administrators may encounter

DOS Limits Use of B Visas for Birth Tourism

A Department of State (DOS) final rule prohibits consular officers from issuing B visas if they determine the applicant's principal purpose is what the administration calls "birth tourism." See 85 FR 4219 (January 24, 2020), effective on the date of publication. DOS published this as a direct final

Department of State Office of Private Sector Exchange Discusses Results of Exchange Visitor Survey

On August 1, 2019, the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Private Sector Exchange conducted a webinar with NAFSA partners to present findings from the College and University Student Exchange Visitor Survey. The survey was conducted from May 6 – 29, 2019 to a representative, random sample of 1,560

Fee-Based Service Model Considerations

By NAFSA International Student and Scholar Services Knowledge Community (KC ISSS) 2018 Robin Catmur-Smith, Barbara Kappler, Nate Lynch, Tina Rousselot de Saint Céran Overview Regulatory compliance obligations for institutions sponsoring international students and scholars have grown significantly in

Practice Advisory on F-1 Cap-Gap Benefits

Overview This NAFSA practice advisory explores how the H-B cap registration and filing system interacts with F-1 cap-gap rules. It has been updated to reflect the cap-gap changes made by the final rule published at 89 FR 103054 (December 18, 2024), effective January 17, 2025. The final rule makes

Implementation of ESTA for VWP Entry at Land Ports of Entry

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) interim final rule published at 87 FR 18967 (April 1, 2022) expanded the ESTA pre-registration requirement to Visa Waiver Program (VWP) visitors planning to enter the United States through land ports of entry. Before the October 1, 2022 implementation date

Developing Policy

IEM Spotlight, Vol. 19, Winter Issue | Table of Contents By Dana Brolley, University of Idaho Policies guide much of the daily work in IEM. They provide critical roadmaps for equitable decisionmaking and developing consistent and efficient processes for admissions and enrollment. Well-written

From Paper to Parchment: Verification in the Digital Age

IEM Spotlight, Vol. 19, Winter Issue | Table of Contents By Matthew Cwiklinski, Scholaro, Inc. The future of educational credentials is digital. While this shift to digital certificates, diplomas, and transcripts makes some parts of academic credentialing much easier, there are also new risks that