On July 23, 2024, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added the category of Environmental/Natural Resource Economics (03.0204) as a qualifying field of study to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. DHS did...more
On February 23, 2023, the U.S. Department of State updated its guidelines to allow F and M students to apply for their student visas to study in the United States up to 365 days prior to the start date of the program as...more
On April 30, 2022, Freeman Law posted my blog that provided a brief overview of international students in the U.S. pursuant to an F-1 visa and the limited circumstances under which those visa-holders may work in the U.S. See...more
The ability of foreign students in F-1 status to participate in post-completion Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) in their fields of study is an important aspect of their education–an opportunity that draws many foreign...more
Last week, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced changes that will be good news for foreign students seeking Optional Practical Training in areas related to their major areas of study. First, the 14...more
When the COVID-19 crisis was declared a pandemic, schools throughout the United States at all levels developed distance learning plans that relied heavily, if not exclusively, on remote online learning. Due to the urgency of...more
On July 6, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), which runs the U.S. student visa program, announced that international students will not receive U.S. student...more
As COVID-19 forced colleges and universities across the country to abruptly close their campuses and pivot to online-only instruction models for the remainder of the spring and the entire summer semesters, Immigration and...more
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the Department of Homeland Security program that administers the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). SEVP manages data related to nonimmigrant students...more
As employers prepare plans to handle possible alternate employee work arrangements in light of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus outbreak, it is important to keep in mind how these plans and policies—including telework policies—may...more
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has instituted a new compliance activity which could surprise the unprepared employer who has hired a recent graduate on Optional Practical Training (OPT). The site visits are...more
ICE announced that, effective June 24 2019, fees paid to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) by international students, exchange visitors and SEVP-certified schools will increase as follows...more
To tighten the rules for foreign students and reduce overstays, the Department of Homeland Security has expanded the definition of “unlawful presence” to include status violations, including minor, technical, and inadvertent...more
In this short series on the new STEM OPT rules, Susan Cohen, Chair of Mintz Levin’s Immigration Section will examine the top takeaways for students and their employers. The second post will focus on the expansion of the...more
On October 19, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security published eagerly anticipated proposed STEM OPT Extension rules that, if adopted would allow U.S. employers greater flexibility for employing foreign nationals...more
The Department of State issued an updated Form DS-7002, Training/ Internship Placement Plan for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a web-based information system maintained by the Department of...more
Effective May 29, 2015, the Department of Homeland Security will amend its regulations under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The change will (1) eliminate existing limits on the maximum number of designated...more