Students are warned by Immigration and Customs Enforcement: During the CIVID CRISIS, there will be no full-time online courses, so you must enroll in physical classes if you want to stay.
By Lawyer Dev B. Viswanath
According to the most recent information provided by the Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), nonimmigrant students residing in the United States are not permitted to complete a course of study through online classes. Students must either leave the country or take other measures to maintain their nonimmigrant status, such as taking appropriate medical leave or taking fewer classes.
For the spring and summer semesters, SEVP granted a temporary exemption for online courses due to COVID-19. To maintain their nonimmigrant status during the COVID-19 emergency, this policy allowed nonimmigrant students to take more online courses than federal regulations typically allow. Previously, students were exempt from the general rule that they couldn't take online classes full-time and keep their status during the Covid pandemic.
However, the organization has now determined that it should not continue in an effort to return to some sense of normalcy. As a result, US consulates and Embassies abroad, as well as Customs and Border Patrol, have been advised not to issue visas or allow F-1 or M-1 students to enter a school where full-time online classes have replaced full-time in-person classes.
A typical F-1 student who was enrolled in a legitimate full-time academic institution could typically take up to three credit hours or one class online. This method is being used once more.
Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending schools that use a hybrid model—which combines in-person and online classes—will be permitted to take more than three credit hours or one class online. Through the "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status" Form I-20, these schools must demonstrate to SEVP 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 necessary to progress normally in their degree program.
This rule goes into effect for the 2020 fall semester. If you or someone you care about finds that your school only offers online classes, please talk to an experienced and knowledgeable immigration attorney about your options.
