Dear UNL International Students,
A week ago, I provided you with an update on the four, flexible enrollment options you may choose from for the Fall 2020 semester. Yesterday, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) announced new guidelines that impact F-1 international students. We realize that this message caused additional uncertainty for many of you.
We want to reassure you that the options we provided for Fall 2020 align with the new guidance from SEVP. We also want to further explain how yesterday’s announcement is likely to impact you.
- Continuing international students who are currently in the U.S. may take more than three online credits because UNL is considered a “hybrid” institution (offering a combination of in-person, remote, and online instruction) under the new guidance, but they may not be enrolled in only online courses. Thus, if students have a choice between an in-person or online mode of instruction for a particular course, they should register for the in-person option.
- Continuing international students who are in the U.S. pursuing practical training or are engaged in noncoursework degree requirements (e.g. PhD students who have completed coursework and are engaged in research, students on OPT/CPT) will have sufficient in-person contact hours to maintain their status.
- Continuing international students who are outside the U.S. may take all online classes if they so choose, but this will impact their immigration status. The International Student and Scholar Office will work with these students to return for the spring 2021 semester.
- New international students who are in the U.S. (transferring from another SEVIS approved institution) may take more than three online credits required towards their full course of study in the fall; however, they cannot take a full course of study online.
- New international students who are overseas should visit https://global.unl.edu/fall-2020-options/ for information regarding options for the fall 2020 semester. These options align with the new guidance.
We realize that you likely have additional questions about recent announcements and their impacts. The International Student & Scholar Office and the Global Nebraska team continue to work to better understand aspects of the policy that are not yet fully clear and commit to providing you additional updates as information becomes available.
Remember, we have expanded our team of International Student Success Navigators during this critical period. As you have questions about your specific circumstances, please email them to InternationalNavigators@unl.edu.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, and Go Big Red.
Josh Davis, J.D.
Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs & Senior International Officer