International students will no longer be allowed to stay in the U.S. if their college or university has shifted to online-only courses this fall, the Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE) agency announced on Monday.
The agency was quick to warn that students who do not comply with these rules will be deported. However, to remain in lawful status, the foreign students have the option to transfer to a school with in-person or face-to-face classes.
The development stems from the decision of colleges and universities, including Ivy League ones like Harvard, to resume classes this fall but via an online platform. The move aims to have students continue learning but still keep coronavirus transmission rates low.
ICE clarified that students who are under a mixed learning program may take multiple multiple online classes. The new rules also do not apply to students under the optional practical training (OPT) program which allows F-1 students who have already finished their studies to work in the U.S. for one year.
The Institute of International Education says foreign students make up 5.5% of the higher education population in the U.S. There were 1.1 million international students in the 2018 to 2019 academic year.
ICE also ordered the schools that have switched to online-only classes to “update their information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) within 10 days of the change”.
ICE should also be notified if a nonimmigrant student changes their course selections and end up having online-only course work.
This new immigration policy will have foreign students scrambling to transfer schools so they can maintain their legal status. A good number of them will be forced to exit the U.S. with no guarantee if they will be allowed to come back once person-to-person classes resume.