Court orders from two U.S. District Courts (Maryland and Hawai'i) temporarily prevented the Government from enforcing the “travel ban” imposed by Executive Order 13780 for citizens ("nationals") of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. On Monday, June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court partially lifted those injunctions. This will allow a limited version of the travel ban to go into effect. However, the Supreme Court decision contains an important exception. The travel ban will not apply to people who “have a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States.” The decision included these examples of “bona fide relationships”: students who have been admitted to a U.S. school; workers who accept an offer of employment from a U.S. employer; and lecturers invited to address an American audience.
We are waiting for more specific information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about how this decision will be implemented. We will update the International Center website as soon as we have more information.
Recognizing that the legal landscape is not certain and can change, based on the examples included in the Supreme Court decision, a current U-M student, U-M employee, or U-M scholar from one of the six affected countries should be able to leave the U.S. and return. Similarly, students from one of the six affected countries who have been admitted to U-M, or new U-M scholars or employees from one of the six affected countries, should be able to apply for U.S. visas and seek to enter the U.S. in the same manner that they did prior to the travel ban being imposed.
However, it is always important to remember that State Department consular officers at U.S. embassies and consulates, and Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry have broad discretion regarding an individual’s visa issuance and admission to the U.S.
We encourage any impacted students, scholars or employees to contact the International Center for any questions or concerns and to check back for further updates.