U.S. abandons plan to deport international students amid COVID-19

• The Trump Administration has abandoned a plan to deport foreign students learning online
• Many colleges and universities began online-only learning in March, when COVID-19 first began spreading throughout the country
• Since then, most institutions have committed to resuming online learning in September, when the new college year begins
• In a new rule imposed this month, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agency sought to deport all overseas students who weren’t enrolled in in-person classes
• But, the ruling has since been dropped after the agency was sued by several top U.S. colleges, including Harvard University

The U.S. Government has abandoned its plan to deport international students, whose courses are now run fully online because of COVID-19.

The change in plan comes after two top colleges, MIT and Harvard University, began legal proceeding against the Trump Administration over the deportations.

A settlement has now been reached, and students can remain in the country and study on student visas regardless of whether they’re attending classes online or in-person.

In the beginning

When the coronavirus pandemic first hit the U.S. in March, many colleges began closing their campuses and switching to online learning.

International students were permitted to remain in the country, though some were asked to leave campus and find different accommodation. Others chose to return home as their country’s borders were closing.

Since then, the summer break has occurred, and many universities and colleges have told students when they return in September for the new school year, learning will be conducted online, due to the continued spread of the coronavirus.

But on July 6, the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) agency, who oversees student visas, said foreign students could not stay in the country if they were learning online.

Instead, students needed to switch to an in-person class, which many universities aren’t offering at this stage in the pandemic.

ICE also told students who returned home in March and April that they weren’t welcome to return to the U.S. if they planned to study online.

Any overseas student caught breaking the new rule would face deportation.

In the end

Prominent colleges, Harvard University and MIT, pushed back against the rule, labelling it ‘arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion’.

The two institutions sued the Government two days after the ruling was announced, and yesterday, July 13, the lawsuit went to court and was settled.

ICE, and its parent the Department of Homeland Security, agreed to rescind the ruling and revert back to measures announced in March, which allowed students the flexibility to stay or leave the U.S.

It’s estimated around 5 per cent of all colleges students in the U.S. – around 1 million people – are from overseas.

This group also pays full fees, contributing an estimated $41 billion to the U.S. economy in 2018-19.