INTERNATIONAL TERTIARY STUDENTS WITH ONLINE-ONLY COURSES MUST LEAVE US

The United States Customs and Enforcement, ICE, has announced that international students pursuing degrees in the United States must leave the US or risk deportation, if their universities switch to online-only courses. The move will affect thousands of foreign students, including those from the Caribbean, who are attending universities in the United States or are participating in training programmes.

ICE indicated on its website on Monday that international students on non-immigrant F-1 and M-1 visas “attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States. The US Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programmes that are fully online for the fall semester.”

The Trump administration is suggesting that students currently enrolled in the US consider other measures, such as transferring to schools with in-person instruction.