On May 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted a notice in the Federal Register announcing the suspension of certain regulatory requirements for F-1 students from Afghanistan who are experiencing severe economic hardship as a result of the current situation in their country of citizenship. This notice temporarily suspends applicable on-campus and off-campus employment regulations for eligible Afghani students until Nov. 20, 2023.

Special Student Relief (SSR) is the suspension of certain regulatory requirements by the secretary of DHS for an F‑1 student from parts of the world that are experiencing emergent circumstances. Regulatory requirements that may be suspended or altered for an F-1 student include duration of status, full course of study and off-campus employment eligibility.

SSR applies when emergent circumstances occur. Emergent circumstances are world events that affect F-1 students from a particular region and create significant financial hardships, such as but not limited to:

• Natural disasters.
• Wars and military conflicts.
• National or international financial crises.

To find a list of active SSR notices, visit the What’s New page on ICE.gov/SEVP.