Seyfarth Synopsis: The below summarizes recent legal updates that impact U.S. immigration... 1. Government Shutdown Avoided – For Now - On September 30, 2023, Congress passed a stopgap bill to keep the government...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - With a partial government shutdown still potentially imminent, here is an overview of the potential impacts on employers and business immigration services....more
As part of the Biden Administration’s initiative to retain high-skilled foreign nationals in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it is adding eight new fields as qualifying fields of study...more
With the end of the COVID-19 National Emergency in the United States, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has reinstated its preexisting policy regarding online classes....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
Prior to 2021, collegiate student-athletes were not able to make sponsorship deals and profit from their names, images, and likenesses (NILs). However, in 2021, that changed when the NCAA adopted a new policy allowing...more
The U.S. Department of Education has terminated federal recognition of the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as a national accrediting agency. The loss of recognition will affect certain...more
Effective January 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security updated and expanded the list of STEM fields of study falling within the regulatory definition of “STEM field.” The list, known as the “DHS Stem Designated...more
Students need to be aware of the current state of Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) guidance during the pandemic, various COVID-19-related travel bans, as well as the operating statuses of embassies and consulates...more
Earlier this week, on January 26, 2021, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) rescinded its intention, announced less than two weeks earlier, to develop an OPT Employment Compliance Unit. Immigration and Customs...more
On July 24, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) issued updated guidance for international students pursing education programs in the United States. The follow-up...more
Yesterday, the federal government agreed to rescind in full its July 6, 2020 Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) modification, and revert to the original emergency COVID-19–related international student guidance it...more
On July 14, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), rescinded its July 6, 2020 policy prohibiting F-1 and M-1 students from remaining in the U.S. to...more
On July 14, 2020, the Trump administration agreed to rescind a July 6, 2020, directive that planned to bar foreign students from the United States if their colleges canceled in-person instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic....more
In a rare reversal, minutes from the start of a federal court hearing in a lawsuit brought by Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) against the US government, the Department of Homeland...more
The Trump administration, in response to a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as several other suits, agreed to rescind its surprise Immigration and Customs Enforcement...more
The Trump administration reversed a previous directive that would have barred students in F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrant status from remaining in the United States this fall while taking courses entirely online. Earlier this month,...more
On July 14, 2020, in response to a lawsuit filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has agreed to rescind a policy that would have barred...more
National universities and states across the country filed multiple federal lawsuits this week seeking to invalidate and enjoin implementation of the Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s (SEVP) Fall 2020 COVID-19 Guidance,...more
After facing a number of lawsuits filed by some U.S. universities and states, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has agreed to rescind the policy change announced July 6, 2020 that rolled back some of the temporary...more
There have been many changes to immigration processes and procedures in the United States as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Holland & Knight's sixth installment of alerts focusing on immigration under...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
On July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitors Program (SEVP), part of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), published guidance restricting foreign students in F-1 or M-1 status from participating in online...more
The White House recently announced that nonimmigrant visa holder students may not remain in the United States if they take full online course loads in the fall. Additionally, the Department of State announced it will not...more