Foreign students in US told they may have to leave if all college courses offered online

The United States on Monday issued new guidelines which state that international students will be forced to leave the country or transfer to another college if their schools offer classes entirely online in the fall due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

The guidelines, issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, provide additional pressure for universities to reopen even amid growing concerns about the recent spread of COVID-19 among young adults. Colleges received the guidance the same day that some institutions, including Harvard University, announced that all instruction will be offered remotely, Associated Press reported.

'Schools must open in the fall!!!'

President Donald Trump has insisted that schools and colleges return to in-person instruction as soon as possible. Soon after the guidance was released, Trump repeated on Twitter that schools must reopen this fall, adding that Democrats want to keep schools closed “for political reasons, not for health reasons.”

"Nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States," US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a statement.

'Must depart the country or take other measures'

"Active students currently in the United States enrolled in such programs must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status," ICE said.

"If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings," it added.

ICE said the State Department "will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States." F-1 students pursue academic coursework and M-1 students pursue "vocational coursework," according to ICE.

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According to media reports, nearly 400,000 foreigners received student visas in the 12-month period that ended September 30, down more than 40% from four years earlier. Last year, universities in the U.S. attracted nearly 1.1 million students from abroad.

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That accounted for 5.5% of the total US higher education population, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE), and international students contributed $44.7 billion to the US economy in 2018. The largest number of international students came from China, followed by India, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada, according to AFP.

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(With agency inputs)