U.S. Extends Flexibility on Online Courses for Foreign Students

The U.S. government has extended through the 2022–23 academic year COVID-era guidance that allows international students enrolled at American colleges and universities to continue to take more online courses than federal law permitted before the pandemic.

Under the guidance issued Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, students who were enrolled in U.S. institutions as of March 9, 2020, can continue to take fully online courses and remain in good standing on their visas. Other international students—those who enrolled sometime after the pandemic began—can enroll in hybrid programs that mix in-person and online courses.

Before the pandemic, ICE permitted international students to count no more than one online course toward the requirement that they maintain a full-time course of study.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program also published an FAQ outlining the extension of the policy.