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Havard University in Massachusetts has moved all of its classes online during the pandemic
The government of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, abandoned his plans to deport international students whose courses move completely online due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The change in direction occurs only a week after the announcement of the policy.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard University sued the government over the plan.
District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts says the parties have reached an agreement.
The agreement restores a policy implemented in March, amid the virus outbreak, that allows international students to attend classes virtually if necessary and to remain legally in the country on student visas, according to the New York Times.
Large numbers of foreign students travel to the United States to study each year and are an important source of income for universities.
- Foreign students in the United States “fear for the future”
- Should I go to college this year?
Harvard recently announced that due to concerns about the spread of the virus, course instruction will be delivered online when students return for the new academic year. MIT, like many other educational institutions, said it would also continue to use virtual tuition.
What had the policy said?
Foreign students were told last week that they would not be allowed to stay in the United States this fall unless they switched to an in-person tuition course.
Those who had returned to their home countries when the period ended in March, as the coronavirus crisis grew, were told that they would not be allowed to return if their classes had moved online.
- Foreign students in the United States “fear for the future”
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) had said that people could be deported if they did not comply with the rules.
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The Exchange Student and Visitor Program, administered by ICE, had originally allowed foreign students to continue their spring and summer 2020 courses online while staying in the country.
But on July 6, the agency said foreign students who then did not switch to in-person courses could face “immigration consequences that include, but are not limited to, the initiation of expulsion proceedings.”
How did the universities react?
Two days later, Harvard and MIT filed the first of several lawsuits seeking to revoke the directive, calling it “arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion.”
Dozens of other universities signed a court report to support the action.
The “real motivation,” argued the 59 universities in their short support report, “has nothing to do with ensuring that students participate in a ‘full course of study’ or protecting the integrity of the student visa program. instead, its purpose … is ‘to encourage schools to reopen.’ “
Attorneys general of at least 18 states, including Massachusetts and California, also filed a lawsuit.
President Trump has been pushing for college and school students to return to classrooms in the new period. He sees the reopening as an indicator of recovery after months of turmoil, which could be beneficial in his re-election bid in November.
However, many educators are concerned about the well-being of students and want to continue practicing social distancing as the outbreak continues.
Which visas affected?
The policy applies to holders of F-1 and M-1 visas, which are for academic and vocational students. The state department issued 388,839 F visas and 9,518 M visas in fiscal year 2019, according to the agency’s data.
According to the United States Department of Commerce, international students contributed $ 45 billion (£ 36 billion) to the country’s economy in 2018.
