Dear Members of the Yale Community,
On Wednesday, October 1, the U.S. government entered a shutdown, disrupting operations across federal agencies and services.
This shutdown may impact some parts of our university community. Information on financial aid and student services; research grants and projects; immigration services, visas, and E-Verify; and travel is below. Please reach out to the listed resources for guidance on your specific situation.
The university will continue to monitor developments closely, and as the shutdown progresses, campus leaders will share additional updates that are relevant to the community.
Sincerely,
Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
Financial Aid and Student Services
Pell Grants and other student financial aid awards will be available for disbursement, as most student financial aid programs are appropriated a year in advance.
Many federal contract staff who handle student loan services and collect student loans have been pre-funded, and borrowers are expected to continue repayment throughout a shutdown. Students with outstanding or incomplete FAFSAs—or other outstanding federal financial aid requirements—should complete and submit these forms as soon as possible.
We anticipate that Veterans Affairs will largely be unaffected, and veterans receiving education benefits should see no interruptions in funding. However, the Education Call Center (GI Bill Hotline), career counseling (including Veteran Readiness and Employment services), and Transition Assistance Programs will experience a lapse in function.
Students with questions about financial aid may contact their financial aid office.
Research Grants and Projects
Work funded by currently active federal research grants should continue if awards have unexpended funds. Electronic systems for new grant submissions and progress reports are expected to remain accessible, although agencies will not review applications until they reopen. Agencies may suspend work on research contracts on a case-by-case basis. Investigators will be directly notified if a stop work order is issued on a federal grant or contract.
Additionally, agencies will likely furlough program officers and suspend the review of new grant or fellowship applications. The Office of Research Administration has been communicating with deans and business offices to provide guidance and will continue to give updates to this community.
A small number of researchers are personally funded by grants from the federal government. These investigators will be contacted by their units if they are likely to be impacted.
Questions about research grants and projects may be referred to the Office of Sponsored Projects.
International Students and Scholars
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will continue to process applications. The Department of State’s (DoS) consular offices will continue to issue visas as long as visa application fee revenue is available. Processing delays may remain for both USCIS and DoS.
Employment-based Visas for Faculty, Postdocs, and Staff
The Department of Labor’s Office of Foreign Labor Certification will suspend operations and will not certify Labor Condition Applications (LCAs), the first step in the processing of employment-based visas, such as H-1B visas. The Office of International Students and Scholars (OISS) may not be able to proceed with H-1B cases that have a pending LCA or require a new one, but USCIS can still adjudicate H-1B cases with an already-certified LCA.
International students and scholars with visa-related questions should contact OISS for assistance.
E-Verify
The E-Verify system, which allows employers to verify employment eligibility, will be inaccessible during a shutdown. Although E-Verify is suspended during a government shutdown, I-9 verifications for new hires can still be processed. The information will need to be input into the E-Verify system once the government reopens.
Questions may be referred to Employee Services.
Travel
Based on news reports, we understand that Amtrak will maintain operating service on the Northeast Corridor, and air traffic controllers and TSA (Transportation Security Administration) security staff will maintain operations.