President John Kelly announced support of international students in light of recent student visa rollback
ICE issued temporary modifications to the program that puts international students in jeopardy of being deported, President John Kelly released a statement touching on what the university will do for these students.
President Kelly said he wants to find a solution for the international students at FAU. Photo by Max Jackson.
July 8, 2020
On Monday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Department released a temporary modification to their Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) due to the academic changes schools are making while in the COVID-19 pandemic.
Depending on how colleges have decided to continue with their education in the coming semester, international students could be deported, and the U.S. Department of State will not be issuing visas to students attending institutions with completely online courses.
For FAU, which released its plans for hybrid schooling on June 25, this means international students will be required to conduct a majority of their courses in person. For institutions that are reopening completely, SEVP students are only allowed a maximum of one online course or a three-credit equivalent.
The new guidelines expressed that students with hybrid schooling, “will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online,” however, the limit on the number of online courses allowed is not specified. These exceptions do not extend to English training students that have SEVP’s F-1 visa, nor vocational students who have M-1 visas, and they will not be allowed to take any online classes.
FAU President John Kelly released an announcement Wednesday regarding the new adjustments to the program, acknowledging the modifications and vowing to find a solution for all of the international students at the university.
Kelly said that the Center for Global Engagement and International Student Services Department will be reaching out to every international student on how to proceed during yet another unprecedented situation in 2020.
“We will work with each individual student to create course schedules that meet federal requirements and SEVP guidance for remaining compliant with F-1 visa regulations”
Despite the concise email sent to all students, Kelly was adamant that FAU’s international population is valued and influential to the school and the culture it wishes to promote.
“We remain committed to global engagement, and we value the global diversity that international students bring to the academic experience,” Kelly said.
Regina Holloway is the news editor for the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email her at [email protected].
