As the United States keeps reviewing its immigration laws and making certain adjustments, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had announced in a statement released on Friday July 24, that it will no longer take in new foreign students seeking online-only study.
In a memo to college officials, ICE said new students who were not already enrolled as of March 9 will likely not be able to obtain visas if they intend to take courses entirely online.
The announcement primarily affects new students hoping to enroll at universities that will provide classes entirely online as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. These rules apply to nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
This comes after a court of law revoked a highly contested policy aimed deporting foreign students whose classes moved online due to the coronavirus pandemic by ICE.
