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
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
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, 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
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, 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
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
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) released guidance on 9 March 2020 regarding potential procedural adaptions that SEVP-certified schools may take to address COVID-19. On behalf of the Department of Homeland...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