PHOENIX (AP) — International students worried about a new immigration policy that could potentially cost them their visas say they feel stuck between being unnecessarily exposed during the coronavirus pandemic and being able to finish their studies in America.
Students from countries as diverse as India, China and Brazil told The Associated Press they are scrambling to devise plans after federal immigration authorities notified colleges this week that international students must leave the U.S. or transfer to another college if their schools operate entirely online this fall.
The issue? You have to physically attend a brick and mortar institution for your F1 student visa to remain valid. One little problem: It is no a new directive. In fact it is at least more than three decades old because it was up and running when I was an International Student. Back then it was not Online classes but classes by mail: “Students would apply to some local college for a semester, then “transfer” to a phantom university to circumvent immigration laws, get a job and remain in country working “legally.” By the end of their “studies” many would simply remain in the country illegally.
Brick and Mortar schools that take International Students have to certify that the foreigner has attended the minimum of hours provided by the law (don’t remember how many) and if they lie, they get in federal deep shit.
There was one exception to the rule: Internship. It had to be school-approved and only for a semester (preferably Senior year to be approved) but you did not have to be physically present as school. And also, for cases of force majure, you could contact Immigration and tell them you had to leave temporarily the country for an extended period (usually family emergency) but planned to return so the visa would not get cancelled and you could always come back.
For all the tales against immigration and the law, there is a fact that I have experienced over and over and so had many friends: If you come through the “big door” and trust the process, you will not only get in but get marks for doing it the right way. Try to do it the sneaky way? You better not get caught as immigration does not forget.
So I am sure there are solutions, but none that doe not require some sacrifice and also require that colleges would have to stop getting the income from International Students, which is basically their main concern.
If they can take the classes at home — and I guarantee no one who can pay for a US university from overseas lacks internet — why is it a problem? Is their real complaint that they prefer life in the US? Well, then immigrate legally.
“Is their real complaint that they prefer life in the US? Well, then immigrate legally.”
That’s a bingo.
What Rob Crawford said.
If those students are taking entirely online classes, what’s the complaint? It’s not like internet-based learning isn’t available wherever they have an internet connection. Their education is covered.
If the real issue is lifestyle, that they prefer to live in the U.S., then they can apply for permanent or long-term alien residency (the actual legal term for that status is “resident alien”) and immigrate legally. They’ll probably also have to work and pay taxes.
Come to think of it, that last requirement may be the deal breaker for college students.
It’s not so much the students doing the suing, but rather the socialist AGs in states like Massachusetts. Perhaps because Harvard has told them to do this to protect Harvard’s revenues from foreign students paying full tuition with no financial aid. And/or because they think they can market this as a Trump policy so of course they are going to oppose it.
On exceptions: apart from internships, there’s “practical training”. Not quite the same thing, that kicks in after graduation and can last more than a single semester.