On September 25, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the DHS agency with jurisdiction over F-1 foreign student visa holders, published new proposed regulations that would end the long time U.S. practice of issuing “Duration of Status” to F-1 students. Instead, F-1 visa holders would be limited to 2 or 4 year visa terms depending upon their country of origin, and be required to reapply for F-1 Status through USCIS to obtain extensions, or to leave the United States and apply for an extension . The proposed regulations were immediately criticized by the higher education community. The rules were called ill-conceived, misguided, unnecessary, and a burden to an industry that has already seen a steady decline in international student admissions. Continue reading “Proposed Student Visa Rules will Upend Decades of U.S. Policy and Practice”
Remote Study Ban on Foreign Students Rescinded after Unprecedented Pressure from University and Business Community
On July 14, 2020, the Trump Administration rescinded SEVP guidance issued last week, which forbid F-1 students from attending universities that were planning to be 100% remote during the fall 2020 semester. With the rescission, schools may now revert to following the SEVP March 9 Broadcast Message: Coronavirus Disease 2019 and the March 13 COVID-19: Guidance for SEVP Stakeholders . Continue reading “Remote Study Ban on Foreign Students Rescinded after Unprecedented Pressure from University and Business Community”
International Students Banned from 100% Remote University Programs ICE Decides
On July 6, 2020 the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a branch of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, charged with regulating universities that admit foreign students, provided long awaited guidance for the fall 2020 semester. In an unexpected about face from guidance issued in March 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 response effort by higher education, SEVP has determined that foreign students on F-1 visas cannot attend universities that will be 100% remote during the fall 2020 semester. Continue reading “International Students Banned from 100% Remote University Programs ICE Decides”