America doesn't want you here.
This country’s college education system thrives on immigrant and out-of-state students paying the extra dosh to go to their preferred school. Indeed, most colleges these days would collapse without that extra funding. Colleges collectively spend millions courting international students, and America gains the benefits of these bright minds should they prefer to stay after college.
So OF COURSE it makes perfect sense for the Trump Administration to use COVID-19 to kick out college students… for everyone’s safety, of course. U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement published this announcement regarding the Student and Exchange Visitor Program: SEVP modifies temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online courses during fall 2020 semester
WASHINGTON – The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications Monday to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the pandemic for the fall 2020 semester. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to publish the procedures and responsibilities in the Federal Register as a Temporary Final Rule.
Temporary exemptions for the fall 2020 semester include:
- Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not 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 United States. 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.
- Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools operating under normal in-person classes are bound by existing federal regulations. Eligible F students may take a maximum of one class or three credit hours online.
- Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools adopting a hybrid model—that is, a mixture of online and in person classes—will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online. These schools must certify to SEVP, through the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” certifying that the program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load this semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree program. The above exemptions do not apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or M-1 students pursing vocational degrees, who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses.
In other words, if your school has moved to all online courses, tough luck. You gotta move back to Japan (or wherever) and wake up to take classes at 3 am in the morning. Oh, and that housing you thought you’d secured? Good luck with that, too.
