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WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Monday brought a wrecking ball to the already difficult life of foreign students in America in the time of the pandemic, ruling that they have to leave the country or risk deportation if they cannot attend in-person courses for the fall semester. Fully online courses that some universities and colleges have reverted to because of the coronavirus will be insufficient to stay in the US and could result in their visa being invalidated unless they transfer to institutions that offer in-person courses.
The notification by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement bureau sent shock waves through the more than one million foreign students in USA, including 200,000 Indians and 400,000 Chinese who form the top two contingents. Thousands of students are already grappling with disruption caused by the pandemic, ranging from housing issues to having to take virtual or online courses that many schools have switched to even within the US, even though they have paid fees upfront for in-person classroom learning.
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