The U.S. Government has said that foreign students will not
be allowed to remain in the country if their institutions move classes fully
online.
In a statement on Monday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE) said affected students would face “immigration consequences”,
including deportation, if they failed to comply.
It, however, gave those concerned the option of
“transferring to a school with in-person instruction” to retain their lawful
status.
The rule, according to the agency, applies to holders of F-1
and M-1 visas, which are issued to academic and vocational students,
respectively.
ICE said: “Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending
schools operating entirely online may take a full online course load and remain
in the United States.
“The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to
students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall
semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to
enter the U.S.
“Active students currently in the United States 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.
“If not, they may face immigration consequences including,
but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
It is not clear how many people are affected, but official
data show that there were 1.09 million international students in the U.S. as of
the 2018/2019 session.
The ICE announcement comes as some universities, including
Harvard, announce plans to move their lectures online due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Critics say the latest move is in furtherance of President
Donald Trump’s exploitation of the pandemic to limit legal immigration to the
U.S.
Already, the Trump administration has suspended migrant
visas or green cards for new immigrants.
Recently, the president signed an executive order suspending
temporary work visas for skilled workers, managers and au pairs through until
the end of the year.
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