US Visa Compliance: University of Pennsylvania Mandates ID-on-Person For All Foreign Students
PHILADELPHIA — The University of Pennsylvania’s International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) has issued a high-priority advisory mandating all foreign students, including a significant Nigerian contingent, to carry their immigration documentation at all times. In an urgent communiqué released Wednesday, February 18, 2026, the ISSS warned that a tightening federal crackdown on visa compliance necessitates immediate and physical proof of legal status. The directive follows a turbulent start to 2026, which saw the U.S. Department of State cancel over 100,000 visas nationwide, including approximately 8,000 student permits, due to zero-tolerance enforcement of even minor administrative errors. Consequently, the university is urging its international community to treat their “lawful presence” as a fragile privilege that must be documented to avoid detention or summary removal.
The advisory outlines a tiered documentation strategy depending on a student’s proximity to campus. For those moving within Philadelphia, the ISSS recommends carrying photocopies of unexpired passport biographical pages, valid visas, and up-to-date I-20 or I-94 forms. Furthermore, graduates on Optional Practical Training (OPT) must secure digital and physical copies of their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and USCIS approval notices. However, the university maintains that any travel outside city limits requires original documents, as federal checkpoints may not accept duplicates. While it is true that Philadelphia remains a “Welcoming City,” the ISSS memo serves as a somber acknowledgment that local protections cannot always override federal “Operation PARRIS” maneuvers.
Philadelphia’s City Council is currently fighting back with the “ICE OUT” legislative package, aimed at shielding residents from aggressive federal overreach. In a related development, Minority Leader Kendra Brooks and Councilmember Rue Landau have proposed banning federal agents from wearing masks or using city-owned properties as “staging areas” for raids. Granted, these local laws seek to limit cooperation between municipal police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Significantly, however, the Trump administration has already signaled that major Democratic-led cities could face a surge of federal officers to enforce compliance. Notably, the ISSS email explicitly instructs students to “remain calm, respectful, and responsive” if approached, emphasizing that legal resistance should be handled by university counsel rather than in the streets.
Significantly, the “2026 Visa Storm” has already impacted several Nigerian nationals, with 18 recently added to a deportation list that has now swelled to 97 individuals this month alone. Above all, the university warns students to remain vigilant against a spike in immigration-related scams that demand immediate “compliance payments” over the phone. Subsequently, the ISSS has established a 24-hour emergency line through the Division of Public Safety (DPS) to provide real-time assistance during law enforcement encounters. Although undergraduate enrollment for international students saw a slight 2% rise in late 2025, the new “Duration of Status” rules currently under consideration could soon impose strict four-year limits on all F-1 visas. For the Nigerian scholar in West Philly, the message is clear: the era of “hidden” documentation is over.
Finally, the focus of the international community must shift toward total administrative perfection to survive this period of intense vetting. Therefore, every student must ensure their social media presence and travel history, which now face 5-year and 2-year retrospective audits, remain beyond reproach. As a result of these shifts, the “American Dream” has become a complex exercise in bureaucratic survival for Africa’s brightest minds. While the quest for global education continues, it now requires a pocket full of papers and a direct line to campus counsel.