This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread globally, the US government has issued a revised policy for foreign students studying in the country. The new rule, announced on July 6, 2020, by US Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE), requires immigrant students whose classes are entirely moved online to leave the US.
According to ICE, active students currently in the US enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction, to remain in lawful status. Failure to do so may result in immigration consequences, including initiation of removal proceedings.
ICE also stated that nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the US. Furthermore, students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester will not be issued visas, and will not be allowed to enter the US.
Universities and colleges offering a combination of in-person and virtual classes will be required to prove that foreign students are taking as many physical classes as possible to maintain their status.
The move has attracted opposition from various critics, including Senator Bernie Sanders, who accused the Trump administration of threatening foreign learners. Senator Sanders tweeted, “The cruelty of this White House knows no bounds. Foreign students are being threatened with a choice: risk your life going to class-in person or get deported.”
As of 2019, there were over one million international students in the US, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). These students contributed $44.7 billion to the US economy in 2018.
