U.S. Government Shutdown

13 November 2025

Congress has voted to re-open the government. The bill passed by Congress funds the federal government through January 30, 2026.

17 October 2025

As of October 17, 2025, the U.S. Congress has not passed a budget to fund the federal government for the new fiscal year which began on Oct 1, 2025. As a result, the federal government shut down, and will remain closed until Congress approves a new budget.

While the shutdown affects the day-to-day functioning of many federal agencies, the primary agencies relevant to international students and scholars in the U.S. are continuing to operate. U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) are fee-funded agencies. This means they are expected to continue processing requests, petitions and benefits as usual. While there are routinely delays in USCIS processing of certain requests such as OPT I-765 applications for temporary work cards, F-1 I-539 reinstatement requests, and I-539 changes of status requests, the government shutdown should not worsen these delays.

You can find general information regarding the effects of the government shutdown here.