Int'l Students Face Deportation if Schools Go Online-Only

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On Monday, Jul 6, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) updated its policy regarding temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students. As per the update, international students studying in the US holding an F-1 or M-1 nonimmigrant visa will be forced to leave the country if their school continues to conduct online courses only. Under the change, around 1.2 million students might face deportation.

Universities such as Harvard and Princeton have already announced that some students will have to take online courses due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, with Harvard stating that all their undergraduate courses – excluding the Faculty of Arts and Science, which will allow 40% of their undergrads on campus – will be online for the entire school year. In fact, 8% of all US colleges have reported that they plan on online-only courses.

This has created quite a conundrum for many students, as traveling restrictions and periodic lockdowns in their home countries leave them without a safe haven to turn to. ICE has yet to expand on what will happen to such students, should they remain stranded. Many students have already voiced their concerns on social media, stating their fears around local COVID-19 management, the economic recession it is causing, and the health issues that immunocompromised students must face. Even the fate of Chinese students with a Chinese passport remains uncertain, as China currently only permits two round trips per week with U.S. airlines. 

According to former Beijing World Youth Academy student Yvonne W who will be attending Pratt Institute in New York this Fall, the COVID-19 pandemic has already had a huge impact on student prospects. “A lot of my friends are taking a gap year or deferring due to this. Overall, it’s just making students’ lives harder.” She may be forced to return to China if her university does not offer a hybrid model, yet tickets are hard to obtain and prices are high.

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However, hope still remains for international students in the US. Students that attend schools that offer a hybrid model – that is with some classes on campus and some online, will be allowed to stay in the US. It is reported that at least 23% of colleges are planning on operating under such models including Stanford, Yale, Northwestern, Georgetown, and the University of Pennsylvania, although the specifics of how the system will operate remain unknown. However, that exception does not apply to those with an F-1 visa in English language training programs or an M-1 visa studying for a vocational degree. Schools have been given 10 days to update their plans and report to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).

International students can also seek to transfer to a school that offers a hybrid model, but under such short notice and without clear instructions as to how to do so, their future remains unclear. 

It is important to note that the new policy has not been officially published in the Federal Register. Certain universities have started to take action, including the University of Washington, which will be working with the state’s congressional delegation and key federal officials to attempt to influence the final rule.

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Credit: PatriciaBeatrix Villanueva (via Unsplash), Nathan Dumlao (via Unsplash)

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