Presidential Executive Orders
Presidential Executive Orders help the administration implement policy. For more information or historical context, you can read Executive Orders 101.
When an Executive Order is issued, there often is a period of uncertainty as the responsible agencies move to implement the order. That may necessitate issuing regulations, which can take time. There may also be legal challenges to Executive Orders. While people who are impacted by an Executive Order should pay attention to the order, there may be periods of time when there are questions but no definitive answers. OIE staff are committed to monitoring these issues in order to keep the CMU community informed.
September 2017: New changes, which may impact CMU faculty, students or staff. Citizens of Chad, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen should read carefully, or consult with OIE, before traveling.
July 2017: An email was sent to current students (pdf)s with an update about the Supreme Court's decision and a note about a new questionnaire that some visa applicants, from any country, might be asked to complete as part of the visa application process.
June 26, 2017: The US Supreme Court heard arguments about President Trump's executive order, commonly referred to as the travel ban. The Supreme Court has allowed some aspects of the travel ban to go into effect. They indicated, however, that individuals from the six affected countries (Libya, Iran, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen) plus refugees from all countries are allowed to obtain a US visa and enter the US if they have "a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States." The Supreme Court used the example of students from the "designated countries who have been admitted to the University of Hawaii" as an example of a qualifying relationship with an American entity. Similarly, they said a "a worker who accepted an offer of employment from an American company or a lecturer invited to address an American audience" would be an example of someone having a relationship with an American entity that would qualfy that person for exclusion from the travel ban. If you are from one of these countries and do need to travel, you may wish to consult speak with your OIE advisor or an immigration attorney (pdf) prior to traveling however, pending further court or administrative decisions, we believe CMU students, faculty and staff from the six countries should be able to obtain visas and enter the US.
Travel Advisory to Nationals of Certain Countries Pursuant to Executive Order updated 9/25/2017
Regardless of country of citizenship, it may take additional time to obtain a visa interview as there may be more people seeking interview appointments and the current Administration has introduced an supplemental questionnaire for some visa applicants. All travelers should carefully consider timing issues when making travel plans, including reviewing visa wait times before scheduling flights. Students and scholars should also review OIE's travel guidance and carry the appropriate documentation when traveling.
March 16, 2017: Federal judge grants restraining order halting implementation (nationwide) of the March 6th Executive Order.
March 8, 2017: Email to students and scholars (pdf)s about EO and opportunity for phone consultations with an immigration attorney.
March 6, 2017 Executive Order: Protecting the Nation from Terrorist Entry into the United States
On March 6th, President Trump signed a new Executive Order which temporarily suspends travel to the US for citizens of 6 countries: Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen and temporarily suspends entry of refugees. The Executive Order also suspends waivers of visa interviews, thus requiring in-person visa interviews for all visa applicants. This new Executive Order allow citizens of the six countries who HAVE valid visas to travel and re-enter the US and provides for the possibility of a waiver for some people, including students/scholars who have been in the US.
The Dept. of Homeland Security has published a set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) related to the Executive Order.
February 14, 2017: Open Forum on Immigration Policies Audio of presentation about the Jan. 27 Executive Order and question/answer session available to Carnegie Mellon students, faculty and staff.
January 27, 2017: See OIE's January News for information about the first Executive Order banning travel.