US to stop new foreign students whose courses are offered only online from entering

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said that international students, whose courses are offered only online, would not be allowed to enter the country.

In the new policy announced on Friday, students will be allowed to enter the US to enroll in a US school to pursue hybrid coursework for the fall semester, adding that the rules will not apply to international students who were already enrolled at colleges or universities in the US last semester and are returning, even if their school is fully online.

It would be recalled that the Trump administration had earlier this month, withdrawn its policy that would have prevented all international students from staying in the US if they were taking their courses completely online, after 17 attorneys general and DC filed a lawsuit.

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According to a report by the CNN, a source had said that the White House felt the blowback to the proposal and that some administration officials believe it was poorly conceived and executed.

Qouted another source, the report said the White House focused instead on having the rule apply only to new students, rather than students already in the US.

Students had expressed frustration and concern over their next steps, as universities and colleges announced decisions to move all courses online amid the ongoing pandemic.

“Nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the U.S. to enroll in a U.S. school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of student that is 100 percent online,” ICE said in a statement.

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