{"id":15160,"date":"2025-10-01T15:32:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:32:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160"},"modified":"2025-10-01T15:41:28","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:41:28","slug":"f-1-j-1-student-alert-federal-shutdown-risks-and-required-student-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160","title":{"rendered":"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><b>What Continues to Function:\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The federal government shutdown that began today, October 1, 2025, should <\/span><b>not immediately stop<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> your key immigration processes. Most critical student-related services are expected to continue because they are paid for by application fees, not by Congress:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>SEVIS is Operational:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The SEVIS system that holds your record is expected to remain active.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>USCIS Services Continue:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> USCIS (e.g., OPT\/I-765 processing) and most visa\/passport services at U.S. Consulates are expected to continue.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>WARNING:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Even though these systems are running, you should still prepare for <\/span><b>potential slowdowns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If the shutdown is prolonged, processing times may increase, and some U.S. Consulates might limit their services. Always check the operating status of a specific consulate\/embassy before scheduling or attending visa interviews.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Potential Impacts on F-1 and J-1 Students:<\/b><\/p>\n<table class=\"table251001\" style=\"height: 472px; width: 100%; border: 2px solid black; padding: 5px;\" border=\"2px\" cellpadding=\"5px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 56px;\">\n<th style=\"height: 56px; background-color: #98ed9b; width: 16.2325%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Service Area<\/span><\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 56px; background-color: #98ed9b; width: 15.3307%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agency Responsible<\/span><\/th>\n<th style=\"height: 56px; background-color: #98ed9b; width: 66.4329%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Impact During Shutdown<\/span><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 80px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 80px; width: 16.2325%;\"><b>Air Travel \/ Domestic Travel<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 80px; width: 15.3307%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FAA &amp; TSA<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 80px; width: 66.4329%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HIGH RISK: Expect longer airport security lines and potential flight delays or cancellations due to staffing issues at the FAA\/TSA.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 104px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 16.2325%;\"><b>Social Security Numbers (SSN)<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 15.3307%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Social Security Administration (SSA)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 66.4329%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEVERE RISK: SSA has historically ceased processing SSN applications during shutdowns, which would significantly delay employment start dates for students who require an SSN for paid work (GA, internships, CPT\/OPT).<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 104px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 16.2325%;\"><b>Long-Term Employment (H-1B, E-3)<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 15.3307%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DOL (Department of Labor)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 104px; width: 66.4329%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEVERE IMPACT: The DOL\u2019s systems (OFLC\/LCA\/FLAG) will shut down. This halts employers from obtaining the Labor Condition Application (LCA), which is essential for sponsoring students for long-term work visas (like H-1B) after OPT.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 128px;\">\n<td style=\"height: 128px; width: 16.2325%;\"><b>E-Verify<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 128px; width: 15.3307%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-Verify (DHS\/USCIS)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"height: 128px; width: 66.4329%;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEVERE IMPACT: The E-Verify system is federally funded and will likely be unavailable\/offline. Employers, especially those required for STEM OPT, cannot initiate new cases or resolve Tentative Nonconfirmations (TNCs). Note: Employers must still comply with the Form I-9 requirement.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Actionable Guidance for F-1 and J-1 Students<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Submit Requests Early:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Submit all CPT\/OPT\/AT requests to the ISS office well in advance of your start date. If applying for OPT\/STEM OPT, file your application early in the allowed window to account for federal delays.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Plan for SSN<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Submit your SSN application as early as permitted to mitigate the risk of the office closing.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>If you plan to seek H-1B or non-F-1 status:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Consult with your employer&#8217;s immigration attorney now regarding the DOL shutdown.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Anticipate Air\/Domestic Travel Delays<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: If you have domestic flights scheduled, be prepared for potential longer security lines and flight delays due to possible staffing issues at the FAA and TSA.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disclaimer:<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This guidance outlines the most common scenarios and potential service disruptions typically experienced by F-1 and J-1 students during a federal shutdown. Please note that immigration regulations are complex and constantly changing, and your personal situation may involve unique circumstances not addressed here. This information does not constitute legal advice. Students should first seek guidance from an ISS advisor and, for legal counsel on complex or case-specific matters, consult with an experienced immigration attorney.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What Continues to Function:\u00a0 The federal government shutdown that began today, October 1, 2025, should not immediately stop your key [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,97,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2025-immigration-updates","category-announcement","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What Continues to Function:\u00a0 The federal government shutdown that began today, October 1, 2025, should not immediately stop your key [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ISS Manoa\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ISS Manoa\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ISS Manoa\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/4a50b10ae3d2c868450640dd51a86de6\"},\"headline\":\"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\"},\"wordCount\":500,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"2025 Immigration Updates\",\"Announcement\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\",\"name\":\"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/\",\"name\":\"International Student Services\",\"description\":\"University of Hawaii at Manoa\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization\",\"name\":\"International Student Services\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/uhlogo1-1-e1494453005444.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/uhlogo1-1-e1494453005444.png\",\"width\":60,\"height\":60,\"caption\":\"International Student Services\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/4a50b10ae3d2c868450640dd51a86de6\",\"name\":\"ISS Manoa\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24e4281a00c5cd051854ef31c60f25d6e29aec7259d9d69bc0df1d2022fea27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24e4281a00c5cd051854ef31c60f25d6e29aec7259d9d69bc0df1d2022fea27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ISS Manoa\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?author=5\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services","og_description":"What Continues to Function:\u00a0 The federal government shutdown that began today, October 1, 2025, should not immediately stop your key [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160","og_site_name":"International Student Services","article_published_time":"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00","author":"ISS Manoa","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ISS Manoa","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160"},"author":{"name":"ISS Manoa","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/4a50b10ae3d2c868450640dd51a86de6"},"headline":"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action","datePublished":"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160"},"wordCount":500,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization"},"articleSection":["2025 Immigration Updates","Announcement","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160","url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160","name":"F-1\/J-1 Student Alert: Federal Shutdown Risks And Required Student Action - International Student Services","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-10-02T01:32:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-02T01:41:28+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?p=15160"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/","name":"International Student Services","description":"University of Hawaii at Manoa","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#organization","name":"International Student Services","url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/uhlogo1-1-e1494453005444.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/uhlogo1-1-e1494453005444.png","width":60,"height":60,"caption":"International Student Services"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/4a50b10ae3d2c868450640dd51a86de6","name":"ISS Manoa","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24e4281a00c5cd051854ef31c60f25d6e29aec7259d9d69bc0df1d2022fea27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24e4281a00c5cd051854ef31c60f25d6e29aec7259d9d69bc0df1d2022fea27c?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ISS Manoa"},"url":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/?author=5"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15160"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15173,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15160\/revisions\/15173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/issmanoa\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}