Thousands of Indian Students in US Forced to Pack Bags! What are the Reasons? Report

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released a statement on Monday and stated that students with non- immigrant visas cannot take a full online course load while staying in the country. ICE has warned that students who don’t follow the order could be removed from the country. 

Around 200,000 Indian students stay in US and constitute the second- largest foreign student community on US campuses, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE), a US govt. funded body. 

Immigration lawyers have raised concerns about the motive behind this move that forces Indian students to attend in- person classes amid pandemic. The move is reportedly likely to lead the US Citizenship and Immigration services facing fresh lawsuits.

President Donald Trump’s order directing foreign students to leave the US if they are not attending in-person classes will affect thousands of Indians, according to immigration experts, who said the controversial move could trigger a spate of legal challenges.

“If taken to court, US government will have a tough time explaining itself. I think a number of varsities will file lawsuits, especially smaller ones,” said Rajiv Khanna, managing attorney of Immigration.com.

As per media reports, the US will not issue fresh visas to students who belong to colleges that have announced online- only courses from later this year. 

“The new rule will, however, not affect students who are on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows graduates in science, technology, engineering and math to work for an additional 24 months in the US,” Economic Times cited in a report.

Overseas students who are studying in the US at present have taken it to social media platforms and expressed their disagreement through online campaigns.