International Student and Scholar Office supports Huskers through immigration uncertainty

UNL student workers greet newly arrived international students at the Lincoln airport in 2019. Credits: Troy Fedderson | University Communication
UNL student workers greet newly arrived international students at the Lincoln airport in 2019. Credits: Troy Fedderson | University Communication

By Nakell Baker | International Student and Scholar Office

As international students made decisions about returning to Nebraska’s campus this fall, they were not only dealing with questions about course enrollment and COVID-19 accommodations – but also complex immigration policies that continued to change through the summer.

In its role to offer guidance on immigration compliance, the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) has worked diligently to support international students from the conclusion of the spring semester, through summer and the transition to fall. As the university faced difficult decisions regarding the fall semester, international students faced complex decisions of their own, weighing student visa regulations, travel restrictions and being away from friends and family.

“We know that our international students were facing unique challenges and uncertainty as they planned for the fall semester, in addition to difficulties with visas, travel restrictions and changing immigration guidance,” said Karen Cagley, director of ISSO. “International students are an important part of our Husker community and I am proud of the continuous support the ISSO team and our university partners have provided.”

To increase flexibility for the fall semester, Nebraska provided four options for the fall semester to help international students plan around COVID-19 circumstances, meet immigration requirements and continue their UNL education. The four options included choices for students to take courses on campus, online in their home country or defer to the spring 2021 semester.

ISSO also created the internationalnavigators@unl.edu email as a new resource to assist students in making the best decision for themselves for the fall semester. The International Navigator team was temporarily expanded with staff from other Global Nebraska units to provide personalized support as students considered all the factors in their decision-making process.

Throughout the summer, the ISSO team quickly provided reassurance and guidance on U.S. immigration updates and what changes meant for students’ plans. Both the international navigators email and ISSO’s general office email, isso@unl.edu, became hotlines for advising students on their options for the fall semester, fielding over 500 questions in one week. ISSO specialists also continued to provide immigration support to other campus units through informational sessions for academic advisors to understand international student enrollment requirements, and a university-wide webinar featuring immigration attorneys discussing how guidance might affect Nebraska’s international student, scholar and employee populations.

The complex situation was further complicated by now-rescinded guidance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 6. While this guidance did affect the options for Nebraska’s international students, the university stood unwavering in its support for international students, led by messages from Chancellor Ronnie Green and a joint statement of the University of Nebraska system's four student regents. The University of Nebraska system also joined other universities across the country in signing an amicus brief that supported the lawsuit filed by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to oppose the July 6 guidance. The guidance was ultimately reversed on July 14.

Current guidance for international students comes from a July 24 announcement by ICE that reverts back to March 2020 guidance and provides more flexibility to current international students to keep their immigration records active regardless of physical location and the number of online courses they are enrolled in.

As the fall semester begins, ISSO will continue to provide increased support – such as remote advising – and regularly communicate with international students. For, as Chancellor Green noted in a tweet, “[Our international students] come to learn and make incredible contributions, enriching our campus and community. We’re glad they call UNL home and we’ll continue to do all we can to ensure their success.”

International students, scholars and university community members can contact isso@unl.edu for any immigration-related questions. Non-immigration and fall decision questions should be directed to internationalnavigators@unl.edu. Important immigration updates are also regularly published on the ISSO website.