With new changes from Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding online and in-person classes in the fall, San Jose State’s plans for implementing hybrid classes could ease some stress for international students.
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced on Monday in a news release that nonimmigrant F-1 and M-1 students attending schools operating entirely online can’t take a full online course load and remain in the U.S.
SJSU President Mary Papazian called the recent development “troubling” in a campuswide email Tuesday, but reminded students that SJSU is planning to implement a hybrid course option in the fall, meaning some courses will be in-person and some will be online, while adhering to public health guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our university housing will operate around 50 percent capacity and several campus services will be open for students, faculty and staff who will be on campus,” Papazian stated. “International students and their pursuit of a higher education degree should not be hampered by the circumstances caused by COVID-19, especially when there are opportunities for student life available on campus in the fall.”
She added in her email that SJSU is still searching for solutions to meet the new criteria presented by SEVP for implementing a hybrid model. She said the International Student and Scholar Services Office in the College of Professional and Global Education is gathering information on the new guidelines and connecting with international students to assist them with questions and concerns.
According to the ICE official website, “Foreign students pursuing academic studies and/or language training programs are classified as F-1 nonimmigrants, while foreign students pursuing nonacademic or vocational studies are classified as M-1 nonimmigrants.”
Due to the pandemic, SEVP instituted temporary exemptions for the Spring and Summer 2020 semesters which allow for students to take only online classes, but that’s changing with the looming possibility of online-only coursework at universities in the fall.
“The U.S. Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States,” according to the news release.
It also stated that any active student currently enrolled in a university that is planning for an online-only mode in the fall must depart the country or transfer to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status.
“If not, they may face immigration consequences including, but not limited to, the initiation of removal proceedings,” according to the news release.
Nonimmigrant F-1 students attending these hybrid universities can enroll in more than one online class, according to the news release. These schools must certify to SEVP that the university’s classes are not entirely online and that the students’ courses are not entirely online.
These exemptions don’t apply to F-1 students in English language training programs or M-1 students pursuing vocational degrees who are not permitted to enroll in any online courses.
For these hybrid universities, they must verify that their international students are taking both in-person and online classes.
Cristopher Acosta, SJSU Associated Students director of Intercultural Affairs, said in an email to the Spartan Daily that the A.S. board of directors are very aware of the situation as well.
“We are prepared to fully support our international students as we approach this time of uncertainty,” Acosta stated. “This is a very scary announcement and as of now we are not yet sure how this will affect our international population given we are going to be entering fall as a hybrid semester.”
If an international student’s university changes to online-only classes or if the student can’t take in-person classes, they have within 10 days to either leave the country or transfer somewhere else that offers in-person classes.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has already put added pressure on all students, with many international students having to navigate the uncertainty several thousand miles away from their homes and families,” Papazian stated. “We know the recent changes to SEVP produces additional stress and uncertainty that has rippled across our campus community, affecting international students who are part of our Spartan family.”
