English
Due to the long pandemic and the large spread of the infection, the United States is asking foreign students to leave the country if their classes go fully online.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program, an office of USICE has confirmed the new rule, which will affect the students who are F-1 and M-1 visas holders.
If an educational institution is fully transferred to the online format, the students will not have their visas extended.
Thus, the student must either immediately leave the country or transfer to a university with a combined form of study. Those students who violate the rule will be prosecuted by the Immigration services.
Colleges with a hybrid model of study are exempt from the rule, but they are required to provide the documented proof of in-person classes and that their students take the minimum number of online classes.
This exemption does not apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or M-1 students pursuing vocational degrees, who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses.
Due to the pandemic, new immigration rules can affect thousands of students. Even students from such top colleges as Harvard and Oxford will not be an exception. Most of their faculties were transferred to distance learning a long time ago due to the rapid development of the coronavirus epidemic.
Such changes in the rules of Immigration Service were heavily criticized. Many believe that these innovations can cause confusion and create additional problems for students in obtaining a quality education. Some students may find themselves in a predicament since not all of them can leave the United States on time for various reasons.
