The United States has announced that it will not take in any new foreign students seeking online-only study.
The policy change was announced in a statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This announcement comes after the US rescinded a hotly contested order to expel those already in the US and preparing for online study because of the pandemic. President Donald Trump has suspended several kinds of visas for foreigners during the coronavirus crisis.
The original policy change of revoking the visas of foreign students whose classes will move online in the autumn was taken to court by top universities including Harvard and MIT, teachers unions and at least 18 states. And on July 14 the administration reversed course and rescinded the decision.
That measure had been seen as a move by Trump to put pressure on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to reopening amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Trump is eager for schools at all levels to reopen with in-person classes as a sign of a return to normality.
Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but Harvard has said all its classes for the 2020-21 academic year will be conducted online, “with rare exceptions.”