Effective June 26, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) has required U.S. consulates to expand social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants (students and exchange visitors) before issuing visas allowing them to...more
USCIS provided updated guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual with regard to the F-1 and M visa classifications utilized by international students for vocational, graduate and post-graduate study at U.S. academic institutions....more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently updated guidance in its policy manual regarding international students within F and M student classifications. This new guidance consolidates and provides greater...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance regarding F and M students, including USCIS’s role in adjudicating applications for employment authorization, change of status, extension of stay,...more
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will now offer premium processing for individuals seeking to change their status to an F-1 or M-1 vocational student, or J-1 Exchange visitor, as well as their dependents....more
On April 26, 2021, the U.S. Department of State issued updated guidance on “National Interest Exceptions for Certain Travelers from China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, Schengen Area, United Kingdom, and Ireland,” which should...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 that bars foreign students from using F-1 and M-1 visas to participate in programs that are being conducted remotely as a result of the coronavirus...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
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program, a part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on July 7 announced several modifications to temporary exemptions for nonimmigrant students taking online classes due to the...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
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
Executive Summary: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently announced that it is rolling back some of the temporary COVID-19 pandemic exemptions for international students in F-1 and M-1 status that allowed...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
Over the last week, we have been looking at various changes in policy and procedure related to immigration law. We have covered the travel ban, changes to advance parole, deference to prior determinations and denials; today,...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has published a revised final policy memorandum, "Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants," with an immediate effective date of August 9, 2018. With the...more
USCIS has implemented a new Policy Memorandum affecting foreign national students (F-1 and M-1) and exchange visitors (J-1). The memo, “Accrual of Unlawful Presence and F, J, and M Nonimmigrants,” became effective on August...more
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has issued a revised final policy memorandum updating the recently implemented unlawful presence policy that changed the way USCIS calculated unlawful presence for foreign...more