This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
On July 8, 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a significant change in policy affecting international students in the United States. As universities nationwide transition to online courses due to the coronavirus pandemic, international students face a difficult decision: leave the country or risk deportation.
According to ICE, students who fall under certain visas 'may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States.' This means that students who are enrolled in schools and programs that are fully online for the fall semester will not be issued visas by the U.S. Department of State, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will not permit them to enter the country.
However, there is an exception for universities that use a hybrid model, combining online and in-person classes. For students currently enrolled in the US, ICE suggests considering other measures, such as transferring to schools with in-person instruction.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, a think tank based in Washington, DC, about 1.2 million students who fall under the affected visas were enrolled and registered at more than 8,700 schools nationwide as of March 2018.
