The federal government plans to inform foreign nationals living in the United States while they attend universities that their visas will only be eligible for schools that hold in-person classes.
“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 Student and Exchange Visitor Program, a Department of Homeland Security program, said in a statement Monday. “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 U.S. 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, the department said.
If found not in compliance, SEVP said, students “may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings.”
Several major universities have indicated they will designate at least part of their curriculum to online-only. Harvard announced on Monday it would welcome some first-year students and other undergraduate students on campus in the fall, but classes will still be held online to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
“Fundamentally, there is an intrinsic incompatibility between our highly interactive, residential Harvard College experience and the social distancing needed to mitigate COVID-19 transmission,” Harvard President Lawrence Bacow said.
In May, the California State University said every school in its system would move to instruction given exclusively online in response to the virus.
“Our university, when open without restrictions and fully in person, as is the traditional norm of the past, is a place where over 500,000 people come together in close and vibrant proximity with each other on a daily basis,” Chancellor Timothy P. White said. “That approach, sadly, just isn’t in the cards now.”
But the federal government’s new mandates will limit the amount of online instruction a student on a study visa can receive.
“Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools operating under normal in-person classes are bound by existing federal regulations,” the announcement said. “Eligible F students may take a maximum of one class or three credit hours online.”
“Nonimmigrant students within the United States are not permitted to take a full course of study through online classes,” the SEVP concluded. “If students find themselves in this situation, they must leave the country or take alternative steps to maintain their nonimmigrant status such as a reduced course load or appropriate medical leave.”
