U.S. Phases Out Needed Special Student Relief (SSR) that Protects International Students from Crisis Countries

U.S. Phases Out Needed Special Student Relief (SSR) that Protects International Students from Crisis Countries 

The Trump administration has effectively eliminated a policy intended to support international students from countries experiencing natural disasters, war, and military conflicts, among other crises.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2026

CONTACT: press@presidentsalliance.org

Washington, D.C. —The United States is set to lose its last remaining Special Student Relief (SSR) designation on May 27, 2026 when protections for Lebanese students will expire despite the ongoing conflict in the region. With little public attention, this crucial form of support for international students from countries in crisis has quietly disappeared. 

Laura Wagner, Director of Refugee Student Initiatives at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, stated: 

“SSR suspends certain regulatory requirements—such as on- and off-campus employment and full course of study—for eligible F-1 students from countries in crisis, as determined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  The policy is designed to provide students with the flexibility they may need to meet extra financial responsibilities and to cope with crises in their home countries. While distinct from Temporary Protected Status (TPS), SSR has historically tracked similar country designations and has been quietly disappearing alongside more visible and legally contested TPS terminations.

“The quiet elimination of SSR adds to the growing list of barriers facing international students on U.S. campuses and will particularly affect those from refugee and displaced backgrounds. International students enrich and contribute to our campuses and communities across the country, and we cannot allow this needed support for them to disappear without notice.”

The Presidents’ Alliance urges Congress and the Administration to restore Special Student Relief for countries experiencing crisis and calls on higher education leaders to elevate the urgent need to continue protections for affected international students.

Since January 2025, no new countries have been designated for SSR, and SSR has expired without redesignation for 15 countries: Hong Kong (February 5, 2025), Ukraine (April 19, 2025), Sudan (April 19, 2025), South Sudan (May 3, 2025), Afghanistan (May 20, 2025), Cameroon (June 7, 2025), Palestinian Territories (August 13, 2025), Syria (September 30, 2025), Venezuela (September 10, 2025), Burma (November 25, 2025), Ethiopia (December 12, 2025), Haiti (February 3, 2026), Yemen (March 3, 20026), Somalia (March 17, 2026), and Lebanon (May 27, 2026).

In March 2025, according to SEVIS data, there were 22,096 international students from these countries in the United States that may have been impacted by the disappearance of SSR. 

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The nonpartisan, nonprofit Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration brings college and university presidents and chancellors together on the immigration issues that impact higher education, our students, campuses, communities and nation. We work to support immigrant, international and refugee students, and advance forward-looking immigration policies and practices at the federal level, in our states, and across our college campuses. The Alliance is composed of close to 600 college and university presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, enrolling over five million students in 42 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico.