UW-Madison info about Executive Order on Immigration

An executive order was signed Wednesday to temporarily halt immigration amid the coronavirus outbreak.

According to UW–Madison’s Office of Legal Affairs, the restrictions in the executive order are limited to new applications made outside the U.S. for the next 60 days for “immigrant visas,” (those individuals seeking permanent residence in the U.S).

The order doesn’t affect those seeking “non-immigrant” visas, including those applying for student visas or H-1B visas.

In addition, the order does not apply to individuals already holding valid immigrant visas or other travel documents that permit a person seeking entry to the U.S., nor does it apply to “essential workers” during the pandemic (such as healthcare personnel and those performing research to combat the pandemic) and certain others as determined by either the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security.