Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a new official update on fall online course requirements during the pandemic: F-1 students enrolled in entirely online programs for the fall 2020 semester will not be permitted to remain in the United States.
Details of the adjustments are as follows:
1. F-1 and M-1 students may not take fully online programs while physically present in the U.S.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will not issue student visas to fall 2020 students in fully online programs, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection has the authority to deny entry to such students.
Students currently in the U.S. who choose entirely online courses must also leave the country or transfer to a school offering in-person instruction to maintain lawful status; otherwise, they face consequences such as removal proceedings.
2. Students enrolled in regular in-person programs must comply with existing federal regulations.
Eligible F visa students may take a maximum of one online course or three credit hours.
3. Students in hybrid programs may take more than one online course or three credit hours.
However, the school must certify on the I-20 that the program is not entirely online, that the student is not completing the entire fall 2020 term through online study, and that the student is taking only the minimum number of online courses required for the degree.
The above does not apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or to M-1 students who are not permitted to register for online courses.
If a school switches to fully online instruction mid-semester, or if a student changes their course selection to entirely online, such students must likewise depart or transfer to a program with in-person instruction in accordance with the above requirements.
The most impactful part of today's policy update for most students concerns the fully online course requirement.
"I can’t take all online courses? Does this force me to take a gap year or defer? And I can’t even stay in the U.S. to take them online—how am I supposed to get home with flights so scarce?!" Many students who saw the news must be reeling.
Here, CheersYou（清柚教育） advises everyone not to panic just yet; the first impact of this adjustment will be on the universities. The U.S. government wants to pressure schools to adopt in-person course policies instead of becoming de facto online institutions that let students coast by entirely online.
Judging by President Trump’s tweet this afternoon, the administration is strongly intent on universities reopening in the fall.
Previously, the U.S. government enforced strict online course rules to strengthen oversight of international students. Many visa-mill schools that relied on fully online courses to maintain student status were investigated and shut down.
The Department of Homeland Security even conducted its own sting operation, setting up a fraudulent university with no instructors and no campus. This shows how deeply wary they are of institutions lacking in-person instruction.
American universities have proposed a wide variety of plans for the fall 2020 semester, each saying something different, and some have been vague or have yet to release their plans.
This official government decision effectively tells some schools to quickly produce a clear reopening plan.
Only 8% of universities have currently decided to move the fall semester entirely online. We expect that in response to the new policy, institutions will adjust their reopening plans accordingly—or request that immigration authorities further modify the policy.
We suggest everyone remain patient and take the following steps for now:
1. If you can choose an in-person course, you may select one first to secure the option of staying in the U.S., and decide later what to do.
2. Actively communicate with your school’s international student office or advisor to advocate for the most suitable solution.
3. Wait for further notices from your school and the government.
CheersYou（清柚教育） will continue to bring you the latest policy updates and interpretations.
