On the afternoon of July 14, the latest news just came out that the Trump administration has rescinded the online-only policy for international students.
On July 6, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that international students holding F-1 and M-1 visas would be forced to leave the country or transfer schools if they took fully online courses while in the United States.
The order caused an uproar. Led by Harvard and MIT, U.S. universities filed a lawsuit last Wednesday against ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, condemning that “this decision undermines the comprehensive measures and arrangements many American universities have made to safeguard the health and safety of students and faculty while balancing online and in-person instruction.”
The universities collectively demanded a judge’s ruling before July 15, but ahead of that deadline, the Trump administration has already voluntarily rescinded the ban on taking fully online courses while in the United States!
With this news, international students can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
In just one week, we have truly witnessed the entire process of a U.S. government policy being introduced, challenged in court, and ultimately overturned.
U.S. study-abroad policies have been changing day by day, so it is advisable to keep a good mindset and not be overly anxious. American universities have been actively fighting for the legal rights of international students, and the rescinding of this ban is a very good example of that.
CheersYou（清柚教育） will continue to bring you the latest policy updates and interpretations.
