New ICE Rule
As most of our campus community is aware, last week the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notified colleges of a proposed rule that will greatly impact certain international students attending universities. ICE issued proposed visa eligibility guidelines that relate to students taking online, in-person and hybrid courses for this fall. The proposed rule will not allow students taking all online courses to maintain visa eligibility and remain in the U.S.; and requires that a mixture of online and in-person classes meet certain guidelines.
Texas A&M has joined with the American Council on Education (ACE), Association of American Universities (AAU), and the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities (APLU), in signing onto a higher education community institutioanl letter to Congress, expressing concern for this proposed rule.
The Office of Government Relations is working closely with departments throughout the University to determine exactly what this newly proposed federal guidance means for our international students. We will also continue working closely with our colleagues across the country, and through higher education associations, on how to best move forward.
Further, we plan to engage certain Members of the Texas Congressional Delegation to ensure they understand the devastating negative consequences this guidance would have for our international students.
Finally, litigation has commenced so expect the federal courts to engage on this issue soon.
