Today, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) modified temporary exemptions for non-immigrant students taking online classes due to COVID-19.
The modifications include:
- 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.
- Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools operating under normal in-person classes are bound by existing federal regulations.
- Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools adopting a hybrid model—that is, a mixture of online and in person classes—will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online. These schools must certify to SEVP, through the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status,” certifying that the program is not entirely online, that the student is not taking an entirely online course load this semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree program.
Even under the hybrid model, F-1 students may not remain in the US if all of their classes are online.
Currently, US Embassies and Consulates are still not conducting any routine visa services. Additionally, foreign students may be affected by COVID-19 entry restrictions, which bar foreign nationals coming from Brazil, China, the Schengen Area, UK, Ireland, and Iran.