U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance regarding F and M students, including USCIS’s role in adjudicating applications for employment authorization, change of status, extension of stay, and reinstatement of status. The F-1 classification allows a noncitizen to enter the U.S. as a full-time student at a college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution, or in a language training program. The M-1 classification includes students in established vocational or other recognized nonacademic programs, other than language training programs.

The guidance clarifies that F and M students must have a foreign residence that they do not intend to abandon, but that such students may be the beneficiary of a permanent labor certification application or immigrant visa petition and may still be able to demonstrate their intention to depart after a temporary period of stay.

In addition, the guidance specifies how F students seeking Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM extensions may be employed by startup companies, as long as the employer adheres to the training plan requirements, remains in good standing with E-Verify, and provides compensation commensurate to that provided to similarly situated U.S. workers, among other requirements.

Hopefully the USCIS guidance will provide welcome clarity to international students and U.S. educational institutions on a wealth of topics, including eligibility requirements, school transfers, practical training, and on- and off-campus employment.

For more information about the USCIS guidance, see the Policy Alert and Volume 2, Part F of the Policy Manual.