A week after United States Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) rescinded it’s earlier policy requiring foreign students to depart the United States if their educational institutions were moving to full-time online courses for fall semester 2020, DHS has announced that foreign students not currently enrolled as of March 9, 2020 will “likely not be able to obtain” student visas if they intend to take classes entirely online. Foreign students who are either in the United States or returning from abroad and already have their student visas will still be allowed to take classes entirely online.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, which is tracking 1,250 colleges and universities, 12% are planning to conduct online classes only for the fall semester 2020 while 34% will engage in a hybrid-model of in-person and online classes. The remaining 50% are planning to conduct in-person classes only.
Colleges and universities across the United States have been already reporting a sharp decrease in foreign students as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions. Approximately 1.1 million foreign students were enrolled in the United States for the 2018-19 academic year and only 250,000 are expected to enroll either as new or returning students for the upcoming academic year according to the American Council on Education.
For more information on DHS’s new policy affecting foreign students in Vietnam, the Philippines and Taiwan, contact us at info@enterimmi.com and speak with a U.S. immigration attorney in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila and Taipei.
Copyright 2020. This article is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. This article may be changed with or without notice. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the Enterline Immigration only.