2020-07-06: ICE: Foreign Students at Online Schools Must Go rak ================================================================ Many US schools and universities are considering their plans for the fall and are debating between having courses only online, only in-person, or adopting a hybrid model with a mixture of both. Today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) modified its regulations [0] to require students at schools adopting an online-only model and students who are taking only online courses in a hybrid model to leave the country. As an foreign student in the US, I will comment no further, but I will share some relevant sections [0]: 1. 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. [...] Active students currently in the United States 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. If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings. [...] Nonimmigrant students within the United States are not permitted to take a full course of study through online classes. 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. Addendum, 2020-07-07: Mindful of the cum hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, the above ICE announcement comes the same day as the following tweet from DJT: SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!! --- @realDonaldTrump [1] [0] https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sevp-modifies-temporary-exemptions-nonimmigrant-students-taking-online-courses-during [1] https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1280209946085339136