Edit: On 15 July 2020, the Trump administration agreed to rescind the visa policy which would have prevented international students from staying in the U.S. if their courses were entirely online this fall. At least 20 states and the District of Columbia and about two dozen universities filed lawsuits to block the policy change from moving forward. The guidance has now reverted to the guidance which was issued in March, which permits international students to take multiple online courses during the time of the pandemic. However, there is a chance the Trump administration could issue another change to visa rules and this is causing uncertainty for international students.

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The Trump administration had announced on 6 July 2020 that the U.S. Department of State would not issue visas to international students enrolled in programs that have fully online instruction for the fall semester, and these students would not be allowed to enter the U.S. The guidance also states that international students who are already in the U.S. must leave the U.S. to take online classes from their home country if their program will be fully online for the fall semester.

Carissa Cutrell, a spokeswoman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote "If their school is only offering online courses, they [students] can maintain their non-immigrant status remotely from their country of origin. If they choose to remain in the U.S., they need to transfer to another SEVP-certified school that is offering a hybrid of in-person and online courses."

U.S. universities that had announced online instruction for fall 2020 were scrambling to make arrangements for international students to be able to meet the requirement of taking some of their classes in-person. Hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters have signed petitions demanding that the government rethink the decision. Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the directive.

News outlets in the US are calling out the government guidance for carrying anti-foreigner sentiment and are reporting that international students are re-thinking their choice of a U.S. university.

The British Council is working to reinforce the message that the U.K.'s world-leading universities, which thrive on being global institutions, will always be open to international students. We are working with Study UK to reinforce this message and we will be in touch with British Council certified agents to also strengthen this message.

We have also developed some ideas for U.K. institutions to consider:

-If your institution is still accepting study abroad students for fall 2020, let your U.S. partners know that if their international students on M1 and F1 visas are looking for an option for fall amidst the uncertainty in the U.S., then they can enroll at your school for the fall and earn credits that would transfer back to their U.S. home school. This offer would give their international students an exciting opportunity for fall while staying enrolled at their U.S. institution and maintaining their visa status.

-Reach out to your institution's agent networks to share a message that if they have students who are re-thinking their study options, U.K. universities are committed to supporting all students, including international students already in the UK, as well as those considering studying in the UK from autumn 2020.

-Highlight opportunities for continuing graduate study such as opportunities to pursue PhDs and the Graduate route as international students re-assess their long-term study plans.

As the fall term is approaching, some of these action items will need to be taken quickly.

Our IES team is also available to support bespoke direct marketing campaigns. If you would like to learn more, please contact Jenna Hartsell at Jenna.Hartsell@britishcouncil.org.

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/world/international-students-visa-re…, https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/updated-visa-gu…