Support for International Students
COVID-19 international student visa regulations set by the Department of Homeland Security rescinded.
Fall 2020 visa regulations have reverted to the March 2020 directive allowing fully online international student enrollment for Spring 2020. Under normal circumstances, there is a limit to the online coursework international students can take each semester. During the last half of Spring 2020, the federal government allowed international students to take all online classes in response to COVID-19.
According to the Fall 2020 policy released the week of July 6, international students would have to take classes partially in person, or they had to leave the country. Considering this new regulation, staff in both Student and Academic Affairs were actively working on strategies and solutions to ensure international students could enroll in the necessary hybrid classes to be able to stay in the U.S.
The state of Minnesota joined 19 other states and the District of Columbia to file a lawsuit against these new requirements. A statement was released on July 8 from Ron Anderson, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs at the Minnesota State system office.
On July 14, the Department of Homeland Security agreed to rescind the policy for Fall 2020 as part of hearings for a lawsuit filed by MIT and Harvard.
“It is great that the Spring 2020 rules will continue into Fall 2020, given the pandemic’s continued affect on the ability to safely gather. We are also grateful that international students currently residing in their home countries can continue their studies and maintain their visa status while outside the U.S.,” said International Student Advisor, Anni Bowers.
There is still some information needed to fully understand how Fall 2020 will work for all international students depending on where they are located for the semester, and if they are a continuing, transfer or a new international student.
Minneapolis College is committed to supporting all international students through the pandemic and meeting all visa regulations.
Contact Anni Bowers for more information.