The United States on Friday announced it will not take in any new foreign students seeking online-only study, after rescinding a hotly contested order to expel those already here and preparing for that because of the pandemic.
The policy change was announced in a statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
President Donald Trump has made a tough line on immigration a cornerstone of his message and has suspended several kinds of visas for foreigners during the coronavirus crisis.
The original policy change of revoking the visas of international students whose classes will move online in the autumn was taken to court by top universities including Harvard and MIT, teachers’ unions and at least 18 states.
And on July 14 the administration reversed course and rescinded the decision.
That measure had been seen as a move by Mr Trump to put pressure on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to reopening amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Trump is eager for schools at all levels to reopen with in-person classes as a sign of a return to normality as he fights an uphill battle for re-election in November.
He is pushing for this even though the virus is out of control in some states, with the US death toll at a world-high of more than 144,000.
His administration is leaving it largely up to states themselves to figure out how to open schools safely.
There were more than one million international students in the US for the 2018-19 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education.
Many schools depend heavily on the tuition paid by those students.
Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but Harvard has said all its classes for the 2020-21 academic year will be conducted online, "with rare exceptions".
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Coronavirus around the world
Militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, wearing protective masks against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spread, march during a rehearsal for the Victory Day Parade in Donetsk, Ukraine. REUTERS
epa08503091 Peet (R) trains his students surrounded by plastic sheets to ensure social distancing at the Inspire South Bay Fitness gym amid the coronavirus pandemic in Redondo Beach, California. EPA
Face masks hang from a rope to dry at a house in Bahia Honda, Artemisa province, Cuba, amid the new coronavirus pandemic. Cuba has controlled the pandemic, but its economic income, which is partially used to buy food, was affected by the lack of tourism. The island now faces a food shortage which it is trying to alleviate by increasing local production. AFP
A health worker remains at the COVID-19 Hospitalization Operational Unit of the Military Field 1, at the National Defense Secretariat in Mexico City. The facility, originally a dormitory for the 6th Mortar Group, was adapted to serve high, medium and low severity COVID-19 patients. AFP
A view shows shared electric scooters parked in front of the Coliseum monument in Rome, as the country eases its lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19. With deconfinement and good weather, self-service shared electric scooters have invaded the streets of Rome in recent days, a novelty in the Eternal City, which in turn is discovering the joys and nuisances of new forms of mobility. AFP
The Uceli Quartet perform for an audience made of plants during a concert created by Spanish artist Eugenio Ampudia and that will be later streamed to mark the reopening of the Liceu Grand Theatre in Barcelona following a national lockdown to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP
Barber Renan Estate gives a haircut to a child at home as part of his "Delivery Barber" service, as his shop is closed due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in the Complexo do Alemao slum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. REUTERS
Members of the public pray at St Andrew Cathedral as places of worship reopen for private prayers in Glasgow, Scotland. Places of worship reopened in Scotland today, however only for individual prayer that involves physical distancing. Masses and other large scale services are not permitted yet. Getty Images
Quarantined employees of Toennies meat processing company receive food supplies in the district Suerenheide in Verl. According to media reports, over 1300 Toennies employees at the Rheda-Wiedenbrueck plant have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the pandemic COVID-19 disease. EPA
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio (R) and German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas pose for photographers during a bilateral meeting at villa Madama, a sixteenth-century villa seat of representation by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Italian Republic, Rome, Italy. EPA
