International students Yaqing “Victoria” Yang and Ende Shen of China study together at a sidewalk table in the Silicon Valley city of Palo Alto on March 12, 2020 to break from the on-campus isolation at nearby Stanford University where classroom lectures have been replaced with virtual sessions due to the risk of novel coronavirus.
The U.S. government announced Monday that international students will not be allowed to stay in the country if the institution in which they're enrolled is holding online-only courses this fall. If students fail to comply with the rules, they risk deportation.
Students on F-1 and M-1 visas who face such a situation "must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status," the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency said in a news release.
Those who violate the rules "may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings," said the agency.
The news comes as some colleges and universities, including Harvard, have announced they plan to hold online-only courses this fall as the U.S. struggles to get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
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