The last remaining Special Student Relief (SSR) designation will be lost on May 27, when protections for Lebanese students expire despite ongoing conflict in the region.
Under the longstanding policy, certain regulatory requirements including off-campus employment rules and full course of study have been suspended for F-1 students from countries experiencing crises that create significant financial hardships.
“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,” said Laura Wagner, director of refugee student initiatives at the Presidents’ Alliance.
“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,” Wagner explained.
The quiet elimination of SSR adds to the growing list of barriers facing international students on US campuses
Laura Wagner, Presidents’ Alliance
Since Trump’s return to office in January 2025, no new countries have been granted SSR and existing designations have expired for 15 countries including Ukraine, Sudan, Afghanistan, Venezuela and the Palestinian Territories.
SEVIS data shows there were over 22,000 international students these countries studying in the US last year, who may have been impacted by the policy’s disappearance.
Advocacy groups have urged congress and the administration to restore the designation and are calling on sector leaders to elevate the issue which has received little media attention.
“The quiet elimination of SSR adds to the growing list of barriers facing international students on US campuses and will particularly affect those from refugee and displaced backgrounds,” said Wagner.
“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 gradual policy change comes as the administration moves to replace ‘duration of status’ with fixed visa time limits for students – set to create “chaos” for institutions and students faced with considerably higher administrative and financial burdens.
The cumulative effect of Trump administration policy changes has become clear in numerous data sets, with a new global survey revealing international postgraduate enrolments down by an average of 24% at US institutions.
