Want to keep up with newcomer policy updates in the U.S.? Every month, Global Cleveland publishes our newcomer policy update so that you can stay informed about the latest news.

This month’s Newcomer Update at a glance:

• Social Media Must be Public for Certain Visas
• Pause on Student Visas Ends
• Immigration Enforcement Focus Shifted Away from Farms and Hospitality

• A protest was held against House Bill 1 and its Senate companion bill SB 88 in Columbus.
• The bill, currently in the public safety committee would prohibit the ownership of property by governments, companies, or people from several countries deemed foreign adversaries in much of the state.
• The bill has attracted controversy as it would apply to property within 25 miles of critical infrastructure, a category that would include much of the state, including many areas in the Cleveland metro area.
• https://spectrumnews1.com/oh/columbus/news/2025/06/24/protestors-statehouse-hb1-and-sb88

• The budget cut and border security bill that has been debated in Congress would have several impacts on immigration, including:
  • An increased budget for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
  • $46.5 billion for border barriers
  • Increased spending on immigrant detention facilities
  • An expansion of the immigration court system, which has for years been overburdened with cases
  • An end to fee-free asylum applications, which will now cost $1,000
• https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/4-ways-trumps-big-bill-could-change-the-u-s-immigration-system 

• The US Citizenship and Immigration Services have made several changes to the process for getting marriage based green cards.
• Three forms have been revised, the I-485 (adjustment of status), Form I-29F (a visa for a fiancé) and a more minor change to the I-130 (petition for alien relative)
• They also changed rules around medical form submission and payments must now be separately.
• COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required.
• https://www.boundless.com/blog/uscis-quietly-tightens-marriage-green-card-procedures/

• President Trump called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to expand their efforts on deportation in major cities with Democratic Party run city governments.
• Trump specifically cited Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City in the announcement.
• This comes in the wake of widespread protests, some of which turned violent, in Los Angeles over immigration enforcement raids
• https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/16/politics/trump-immigration-democratic-deportation-efforts

• The US government announced changes to F, M, and J visas that will require applicants to adjust the privacy settings of all their social media to public
• Applicants are also required to list all social media handles used in the past five years on the DS-160 form.
• The change comes as the application for these visas have resumed after a pause. The state department has begun vetting social media of visa applicants earlier this year.
• https://ml.usembassy.gov/u-s-requires-public-social-media-settings-for-f-m-and-j-visa-applicants/

• The US State Department ended a month long pause on the applications for student visas, after unveiling new regulations on social media vetting for perspective applicants.
• Applicants social media settings must be public under the new regulations
• The applications were halted in May, in an executive order that was rescinded by the new policy
• https://apnews.com/article/student-visas-trump-social-media-6632a2c585245edcd6a63594345dd8c7

• CNN reported that the Trump administration planned on action to revoke protections from people who entered the United States unlawfully and later applied for asylum
• Asylum seekers who entered the country legally would not be affected by the change
• It is believed that around 250,000 people would be affected by the policy, which the USCIS has not formally announced.
• https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/25/politics/migrants-asylum-claims-deportations?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc

• In June, Trump administration officials pivoted away from immigration enforcement on the agricultural, hotel, and restaurant sectors.
• President Trump publicly said that the crackdown was hurting American businesses in the agricultural and hospitality sector.
• The Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins reportedly discussed the affects of immigration raids on American farms, echoing concerns by some in rural areas that the immigration crackdown there was having unintended consequences.
• https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/13/us/politics/trump-ice-raids-farms-hotels.html

• President Trump announced a new travel ban, restricting entry for nationals of twelve countries.
• The twelve countries with a ban on entry are Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
• Several categories of people are exempt, including those with green cards, Afghan allies, and professional athletes traveling for the World Cup or Olympics, both of which are scheduled to be held in the US during the President’s term.
• Additional countries were subject to less stringent restrictions
• https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/06/restricting-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-united-states-from-foreign-terrorists-and-other-national-security-and-public-safety-threats/

• A report indicated that the Trump administration may ban travel from up to 36 countries, following a ban on 12 countries announced earlier in June
• Concerns cited for the restrictions included non cooperation with deportations and high rates of visa overstays.
• The report stated that the countries could be subject to restrictions if changes were not made within 60 days
• The 36 countries were: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cote D’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Ethiopia, Egypt, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
• https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-administration-weighs-adding-36-countries-travel-ban-memo-says-2025-06-15/

• Texas ended a practice of giving undocumented students in state tuition, siding with the Department of Justice who argued a law allowing it – the Texas Dream Act – was unconstitutional.
• Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton supported ending the practice, but this effort has been met with opposition and a lawsuit by students affected
• A legislative effort to repeal the Texas Dream Act failed to pass earlier this year.
• https://www.texastribune.org/2025/06/14/texas-undocumented-students-tuition-explainer/