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ARTICLE · 17 AUGUST 2020

Student Exchange Visitor Program Adjusts COVID Related Exemptions For Fall Semester

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
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Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.

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Yesterday, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to the temporary exemptions that had been granted to nonimmigrant students studying in the United States.

United StatesImmigration
Lindsey H. Steinberg
Lindsey H. Steinberg
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Yesterday, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced modifications to the temporary exemptions that had been granted to nonimmigrant students studying in the United States.  F-1 and M-1 students will not be allowed to remain in the United States to pursue a course of study that is entirely online.

By way of background, in March 2020, SEVP instituted a temporary policy regarding online learning for students taking classes during spring and summer semesters due to COVID-19. This exemption permitted nonimmigrant F-1 (academic) and M-1 (vocational) students to take more online courses than is normally allowed by federal regulation for the purposes of maintaining a full course of study in order to maintain their F-1 and M-1 nonimmigrant status during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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