Department of State Shortens Validity of Temporary Visas for over 50 Countries

On July 17, 2025, NAFSA, a nonprofit policy advocate, released a report detailing the Department of State’s (DOS) recent actions to shorten temporary visa validity periods. DOS’s changes will affect multiple temporary visa types for nationals of over 50 countries.  

In most cases, DOS has shortened temporary visa validity to only 3 months and a single entry. In practice, this means applicants receiving a shortened visa must enter the US within 3 months of their visa issuance and will have to reapply for a visa before each entry to the US.

A full list of the more than 50 affected countries can be found in NAFSA’s report; the list includes Afghanistan, Cameroon, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

With some variations, affected visa types include B, F, H, J, M, O, and P visas.

F visas are utilized by international students in the US. The H-1B visa is open to employees filling US positions that require Bachelor’s degrees, which include healthcare occupations such as Medical Technologists, Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, and even Registered Nurses.

Although DOS did not make an announcement of its sweeping temporary visa limitations, individual visa validity periods by country are updated on the DOS’s visa reciprocity website. Speak with an MU attorney if you have questions about your visa validity.