Trump Administration Rescinds Ruling on International Students

The Trump administration has rescinded a recent ruling that would have forced international students enrolled in online-only universities in the fall to leave the country. In the week since the controversial guidelines were announced, eight federal lawsuits were filed by universities, including Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Hundreds of other institutions, including independent art schools where international students make up a significant fraction of the student body, such as the Pratt Institute, joined amicus briefs in support of the legal motion.

At a hearing held today in Boston for the lawsuit brought by Harvard and MIT, US District Judge Allison Burroughs said federal immigration authorities agreed to roll back the measures and “return to the status quo,” reports the Associated Press. The government’s decision means a return to the guidelines issued in March at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, when the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) of the Department of Homeland Security temporarily waived restrictions on international students engaging in online coursework.

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ICE Announced International Students Must Leave the US if Their School Is Exclusively Online