Visa halt leaves Iranian students at the University in limbo as policies tighten

A sweeping halt to issuing U.S. student visas to Iranian citizens has left dozens of Iranian students at the University weighing whether to prolong their degrees to avoid having to leave the country, according to representatives from the International Studies Office.

Adrienne Kim Bird, associate director for the International Students and Scholars Program, said 49 Iranian international students are currently enrolled at the University — 48 in graduate programs and one undergraduate. A travel ban on Iranian citizens has been in effect since Jan.

1, prohibiting entry into the United States for those without an active visa. Also on Jan. 1, the U.S. stopped issuing all F-1 and J-1 student visas to Iranian citizens, the types most Iranian students have historically used to study at the University, the office said.

Those policy shifts have coincided with rising tensions involving Iran. On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel conducted a series of strikes on Iran, citing hopes of pressuring a regime change within the country. Strikes continued through March and into April before President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire on April 8 on the condition that Iran reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The ceasefire remains in place with no set end date. For students, the combined effect is immediate and personal. In a written statement, Reza Ghorbani, president of the Persian Students Association, said immigration policy is not an abstract debate for Iranian students but something that determines how they plan for graduation, pursue job offers and arrange travel to see family.

He said travel home for emergencies or milestones has “become a one-way exit,” as students cannot secure visas to reenter the U.S.

Ghorbani added that longer-term consequences include “a prolonged state of uncertainty — delayed work authorization, postponed residency or research positions, stalled green card applications, disrupted family reunification and fear that lawful presence still offers no reliable path forward.” Kim Bird noted that Iranian students have historically faced more hurdles than other international students in obtaining visas, partly due to the absence of a U.S.

Embassy in Iran. Students often had to travel to a third country to apply and were typically issued single-entry visas, meaning a departure from the U.S. required a new application to return. Following the current travel and visa issuance bans, she said, Iranian students cannot receive F-1 or J-1 visas even if they apply at U.S.

embassies in other countries. The restrictions extend beyond enrollment. According to Kim Bird, Iranian international students on F-1 visas can no longer receive Optional Practical Training after graduation because their paperwork is not being processed. OPT allows graduates to work in the U.S.

in fields related to their studies. The combination of a visa issuance halt and a pause in OPT processing, she said, has put students in a difficult position as they try to determine how to remain in the U.S.

With the ceasefire lacking a set end date and no clarity on when visa processing may resume, many Iranian students are considering extending their studies to maintain lawful status while they await further policy changes, the International Studies Office said.