Dear campus colleagues,

We are emailing to provide you with an update on the June 22, 2020, Executive Order. The U.S. Department of State, which is the agency that issues visas to enter the U.S., has listed exceptions for travel to the U.S. in the national interest by nonimmigrants.

They will continue to process H-1B visas in the following circumstances:

1. For travel as a public health or healthcare professional, or researcher to alleviate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, or to conduct ongoing medical research in an area with a substantial public health benefit (e.g. cancer or communicable disease research).
2. Travel supported by a request from a U.S. government agency or entity to meet critical U.S. foreign policy objectives or to satisfy treaty or contractual obligations.
3. Travel by applicants seeking to resume ongoing employment in the United States in the same position with the same employer and visa classification. 
4. Travel by technical specialists, senior-level managers, and other workers whose travel is necessary to facilitate the immediate and continued economic recovery of the United States. 

Many of our H-1B’s will be impacted by the third criteria listed above. If you know of an H-1B scholar that needs to return to the U.S. and has been employed with us in H-1B status prior to COVID-19, they may qualify for the exception listed above.

If an H-1B visa applicant believes that they qualify for a national interest exception, they should contact their U.S. embassy or Consulate regarding procedures to apply for an H-1B visa. Many embassies and consulates are still closed or offer limited services, so the applicant must first be approved for an emergency appointment.

If you have any questions, please email us at immigration@cornell.edu.

Thank you,
Immigration Services