Greetings!
We have great news: the U.S. government has rescinded the recent SEVP Fall 2020 guidance for F-1 students regarding online courses.
On July 14, in a hearing before the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, the United States has agreed to
rescind
the Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s (SEVP) July 6, 2020 temporary guidance. This agreement cancels any implementation of the July 6 guidance, and returns all parties to the previous SEVP guidance from March. Under the March guidance, institutions of higher education have the flexibility to teach entirely online and F-1 international students may continue to remain in the U.S. with an active visa status. For more information, please see the announcement from
Goldblum & Pollins Immigration Law
.
What does this mean for current F-1 students at UD?
The policy withdrawal means that U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will reapply its March 2020 COVID-19 guidance, which permits F-1 undergraduate, graduate, and ELI students to take a full schedule of online classes within the U.S. during the COVID-19 emergency and maintain their visa status.
New F-1 international students
should consult OISS for guidance on their travel to the U.S. and enrollment requirements in their first semester at UD.
OISS will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates. Please join us for the next
OISS Forum
this Friday, July 17 at 3:00 pm EST.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office at
oiss@udel.edu
or (302) 831-2115.
Sincerely,
The OISS Team
