The United States government on Tuesday rescinded its order that would have stripped
international college students of their visas if their courses move fully online because of the coronavirus pandemic, AFP reported. This came after widespread opposition to the move and pressure from colleges and major businesses.

Two days after the policy was announced on July 6, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had filed the first lawsuit to block the Donald Trump administration’s order. Both the universities said in their lawsuit that the order would harm students immensely, adding that it was “cruel and illegal”. Harvard had announced it would conduct all classes online in the 2020-’21 academic year.

Minutes before the hearing in the case, District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts announced that the US government and the two elite American universities had come to a settlement to drop the new rules and restore status quo, according to Reuters.

“The government has agreed to rescind the decision as well as any implementation of the directive,” Burroughs said in hearing which lasted less than four minutes.

The pressure to abandon the move grew after Google, Facebook and Microsoft were among more than a dozen technology companies that backed the lawsuit on Monday. As many as 17 US states and the District of Columbia had filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration. A group of 30 United States Senators and 136 Congressmen had also urged President Trump to reverse the order.

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement order last week blindsided many universities and colleges that were still making plans for the fall semester amid the coronavirus crisis. The order could have forced tens of thousands of foreign students to leave the country if their universities switch to online classes. Those students must transfer or leave the country, or they potentially face deportation proceedings, it said. The rules applied to holders of F-1 and M-1 visas, which are for academic and vocational students.

Foreign students are a key source of revenue for many of the American universities as they often pay full tuition.

Also read:

  1. Why does Trump want to hurt young people? US visa decision leaves an Indian student dismayed
  2. ‘How does this help anyone?’: Indian students in US fear deportation following Trump’s new rules