Provost Scott Coltrane and Vice Provost for International Affairs Dennis Galvan sent the following message to the campus community March 9:

This week, President Trump announced a new executive order restricting immigration and refugee entry into the U.S. Superseding the original January 27 executive order on this topic, it imposed a 90-day ban on entry by nationals of six predominantly Muslim countries (Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen), and blocked refugee entry from any country into the U.S. for 120 days. 

Less sweeping than its predecessor, the new executive order permits entry by green card and valid visa holders from the targeted countries. It gives immigration officials new discretion to permit entry under circumstances that may include study and professional engagements in the U.S. 

We have advised our students, faculty, and staff from the six targeted countries who hold valid immigration documents that while travel outside and back to the U.S. is possible, it should be undertaken under the guidance of one’s own immigration counsel, and that one should be ready for heightened scrutiny and delays at the U.S. border. We remain quite cautious that new discretion on entry will actually permit the normal flow of new students, new employees, and visiting scholars wishing to come to the UO. For more detailed information, see the UO Office of International Affairs updated Immigration FAQ. Employees can also get information on the Human Resources’ international employee relations webpage.

This normal flow of ideas, information, and people across international divides is critical to our mission in higher education. We thus stand by our January 27 response to the original executor order, and remain steadfast in our conviction that openness to immigration is central to the vitality of this country, recruitment of top international students enhances the competitiveness of U.S. universities, and global engagement is essential for cutting-edge research and academic excellence.

Scott Coltrane
Provost and Senior Vice President

Dennis Galvan
Vice Provost for International Affairs and Professor of Political Science and International Studies