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
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
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July 14, 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), rescinded its July 6, 2020 policy prohibiting F-1 and M-1 students from remaining in the U.S. to...more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
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
On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a new rule barring foreign-national students from taking an entirely online course load under an F-1 or M-1 visa. ...more
On July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that monitors foreign nationals on F and M student visas, issued its long-anticipated fall 2020...more
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a policy change on July 6 that will substantially disrupt higher education for the fall semester. This major change in policy was issued without any opportunity for...more
On July 6, 2020, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced plans to update its online study policies for F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrant students for the fall 2020...more
On July 6, 2020, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (“SEVP”) announced a series of changes for the Fall 2020 semester that will rollback accommodations made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with regard to F-1/M-1...more
Yesterday, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to the temporary exemptions that had been granted to nonimmigrant students studying in the United States. F-1 and M-1 students will not be...more
On July 6, 2020, the Trump Administration announced that due to continued public safety concerns surrounding COVID-19, it is imposing far-reaching restrictions on the F-1 and J-1 programs. These restrictions have significant...more