the big story

The latest Trump casualty: International students

The TLDR: International students at institutions across the United States have been given a choice: either attend in-person classes or leave the country. But this latest bit of Trumpian insanity has little to do with his toxic anti-immigration politics. The President is actually waging war on universities who are refusing to open their campuses in September.

What happened here?

The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a startling notice that said:

• International students on F-1 and M-1 visas must leave the country if their college or university has moved all of its classes online. If they fail to do so, they will be forcibly deported.
• Point to note: F-1 is issued for an academic degree while M-1 visas are issued for vocational programs.
• This also applies to students who came back to India when their campuses shut down due to the pandemic.
• Also: US Immigration will no longer issue student visas for those planning to attend such institutions in September.
• Students, however, can transfer to a university that has opened its campus, and offers courses in the classroom.

The exemptions: There is no exemption for those on M-1 visas. They cannot do any of their coursework online. But those on F-1s can stay if they do a mix of online and in-person courses. 

What kind of mix?

The language is unclear on what percent of the classes have to be in-person. They can take more than one online course (three credits). But their university will have to “certify” to the US government the following:

“[T]he student is not taking an entirely online course load for the fall 2020 semester, and that the student is taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree programme.”

And at a recent diplomatic meeting, US officials pointed out to their Indian counterparts that detailed implementation guidelines have not yet been released—which leaves some room for hope.  

Point to note: F-1 and M-1 visas routinely require students to attend in-person classes on campus in order to avoid fraud. But these rules were suspended during the pandemic. ICE has merely removed those exemptions. But as one expert points out: "These are not some fly-by-night universities, these aren't scams, these are legit universities who would normally have in-person curricula but for coronavirus."

How many Indians will this affect?

There are more than 200,000 Indian students in the US—out of a total of 1.2 million international students. But not all universities or colleges have shut their campuses or moved entirely online. Each is pursuing its own formula instead

• Universities in Texas, Alabama, North Carolina plan to hold in-person classes this fall.
• Others will shorten their Fall semester, and send students back home at the end of November.
• Ivy League schools like Harvard, Yale and Princeton will rotate their students—bringing them back in batches to ensure social distancing.
• But California’s state schools will keep their doors firmly closed—and the UC schools like Berkeley will only offer a small number of in-person classes. Point to note: California’s numbers are spiralling.

Sounds like a nightmare!

Yes, it is. Think of the scenarios facing foreign students:

• If they are in places like Yale or Princeton, even students on campus will do their courses online, and not in the classroom. So those on F-1 visas may still have to leave the country.
• What if their university changes its plans due to rising Covid numbers? Many of the institutions that offer in-person classes may cancel them by September. And those numbers are skyrocketing in places like Texas.
• Or a campus may close or move entirely online due to an outbreak mid-semester. If that happens, the college must notify ICE within ten days—and foreign students will have to leave.
• Rotating between years—freshmen one semester, sophomores the next—will require many to fly back now, and then return. Long-haul travel is both expensive and dangerous right now.
• Then there is the health risk posed by in-person classes at a time when the virus continues to spread across America.  
• Last but not least, India has not opened its borders. These students will have to struggle to find a spot on one of the repatriation flights—which, btw, the US has now severely curtailed. The reason: US authorities claim that Air India is selling empty seats on these flights to the general public.

Ugh, why is this happening?

The short answer: The upcoming US presidential election. Trump is frantically trying to reopen the US economy to ensure his reelection. This is also why he suspended all H-1B work visas, claiming that the move will ensure more jobs for Americans facing soaring unemployment (See: our explainer here).

This is also why he is bullying all schools to reopen their doors. He recently tweeted: “SCHOOLS MUST OPEN IN THE FALL!!!” 

But why use foreign students? 

Because universities are heavily dependent on their fees—that help subsidize US students who often receive aid in the form of grants and loans. Also this:

"Over the last decade, deep cuts in state funding for higher education have put pressure on schools to admit more students who need less aid, which is why so many schools have come to rely on the revenue from foreign students, who typically pay top dollar. 

 

Those students are also, by and large, paying full tuition to study in this country,” [an education expert] said. ‘That’s a really valuable tuition base."

So Trump is hitting universities where it hurts the most. Of course, it’s a myopic strategy that also hurts Americans. As this report notes, international students contributed nearly $41 billion to the US economy last year. Also: with fewer students paying full tuition, there will be less aid on offer for their American peers.

Reading list

Here is the memo issued by ICE. Indian Express has a good explainer on the new rules. CNN reports on the angry reaction from US universities, immigration advocates and politicians like Elizabeth Warren. CNBC explains why the move is a huge financial blow to the universities. And before you feel too sorry for US universities, please note that the likes of Harvard plan to charge full tuition even for their all-online curriculum.