ICE Update on Federal Guidance for the Fall 2020 Semester

On July 24, 2020, ICE issued an update on the Federal guidance for the Fall 2020 semester students which states that the F and M students and schools certified by SEVP should abide by guidance issued in March 2020.

The guidance enables schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the public health emergency generated by COVID-19. The March 2020 guidance applies to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9 and are otherwise complying with the terms of their nonimmigrant status, whether from inside the U.S. or abroad. SEVP will not issue a temporary final rule impacting nonimmigrant students for the fall school term.

In accordance with March 2020 guidance, nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the U.S. to enroll in a U.S. school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online. Additionally, designated school officials should not issue a Form I-20 to a nonimmigrant student in new or initial status who is outside of the U.S. and plans to take classes at an SEVP-certified educational institution fully online.

To Read the Full Announcement, Please Click Here…

https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/bcmFall2020guidance.pdf