Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Rule For Foreign Students Could Force Colleges To Reopen Despite Risks
International students will be forced to leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online this fall, under new guidelines issued Monday by federal immigration authorities. The guidelines, issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide additional pressure for universities to reopen even amid growing concerns about the recent spread of COVID-19 among young adults. Colleges received the guidance the same day that some institutions, including Harvard University, announced that all instruction will be offered remotely. (Binkley, 7/7)
University officials scrambled Monday to adapt to new federal guidance that does not allow international students to stay in the country if they are taking classes online only. It also left some students expressing fears on social media that they risked being suddenly deported. 鈥淥ur institutions right now are struggling to figure out what the fall is going to look like, how best to serve their students, while keeping everybody safe,鈥 said Sarah Spreitzer, director of government relations for the American Council on Education. 鈥淭his is just going to make things more complicated." (Svrluga, 7/6)
And for students enrolled in schools that have already announced plans to operate fully online, there is no choice. Under the new rules, the State Department will not issue them visas, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will not allow them to enter the country. (Treisman, 7/6)
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the changes to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program for non-immigrant students on F-1 and M-1 visas for academic and vocational coursework. The State Department will not issue visas to students in online-only programs and Customs and Border Protection will not allow these students to enter the country, according to the press release. (Cohen, 7/6)
It was not immediately clear how many student visa holders would be affected by the move, but foreign students are a key source of revenue for many U.S. universities as they often pay full tuition. (Dwyer, 7/6)
The Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) normally limits the number of online classes a nonimmigrant student can take under its student visa program. SEVP officials had relaxed those limits for the spring and summer semesters due to the coronavirus, but the new order eliminates those temporary exemptions for the fall 2020 semester. (Tatum, 7/6)
