By Emmanuel Olorunsola
The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement ( ICE) has said that it will no longer issue student visa to international students in the country whose schools have switched to online classes due to the coronavirus pandemic, noting that such students will also be deported to their countries.
A statement earlier this week by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, SEVP, which is run by ICE, stated that there won’t be issuance of visas to students that their schools is switching their classes to online.
The new rule states that foreign nationals enrolled in U.S. educational institutions will have to deploy other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person or they must take the online classes out of the country or risk deportation if they stay.
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According to the statement, students who are non-immigrant are to evacuate the state or take alternative steps such as a reduced course load.
“The U.S. Department of State no longer issues visas to students enrolled in schools or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit such students to enter the United States.
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“Active students who currently in the United States and enrolled in such programs must leave the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status. If not, they will have to face immigration consequences.
“Non-immigrant 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.
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“These schools must clarify with the SEVP, through the ‘Certificate of Eligibility for Non-immigrant Student Status,’ certifying that the program is not entirely online, that the students are 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 students in English language training programs or students pursuing vocational degrees, who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses.
“Schools are also required to update their information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, SEVIS, within 10 days of the change if they begin the fall semester with in-person classes but are later required to switch to only online classes, or a non-immigrant student changes their course selections, and as a result, ends up taking an online course load.
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“Non-immigrant students within the US are not permitted to take a full course of study through online classes.
“Students who find themselves in this category, must exist the country or take alternative steps such as a reduced course load or appropriate medical leave to maintain their non-immigrant status,” the statement read.
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