Relief for students as US rolls back visa rule

Universities, Indian students welcome decision by Trump administration

WASHINGTON: The US has withdrawn a rule that required international students, including hundreds of thousands of Indians, to leave the country if their schools held classes entirely online amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) restrictions — a move that was welcomed by students who were at risk of being deported, their families, and universities that had vehemently opposed the decision.

The Trump administration on Tuesday conveyed its decision to a federal US district court that was hearing a challenge by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), joined by hundreds of other schools and colleges, and some states.

Under the policy, international students in the US would have been prohibited from taking all their courses online this fall. New visas would not have been issued to students at schools planning to provide all classes online, which includes Harvard. Students already in the US would have faced deportation if they didn’t transfer to schools with in-person instructors or leave the country voluntarily amid the pandemic.

The US is the worst-hit country by the infectious disease, with the virus infecting more than 3.5 million people and killing about 140,000. “The government has agreed to rescind the July 6 2020 policy directive and the frequently asked questions, the FAQs, that were released the next day on July 7,” district court judge Allison D Burroughs said just as the hearing started. “They also agreed to rescind any implementation of the directive,” the judge added.

According to a recent report of the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), 194,556 Indian students were enrolled at various academic institutions in the US in January.