KUALA LUMPUR: THE Malaysian Embassy in Washington D.C. has urged Malaysian students to reach out to their respective universities on their method of learning for the Fall 2020 semester.
This is following the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announcement that international students pursuing degrees in the US would have to leave the country or risk deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses.
ICE's move could affect thousands of foreign students, who have come to the US to attend universities or participate in training programmes, as well as non-academic or vocational studies.
"The Embassy is seeking to obtain further clarification from the ICE on its latest decision.
"The Embassy is also working closely with the Education Malaysia office and the National Assembly of Malaysian Students in America to monitor the wellbeing of students in the US," it said in a statement yesterday.
ICE had announced the end of temporary exemptions for students taking online classes, which were previously permitted by its Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The embassy said the latest modifications to the temporary exemptions include foreign students with F-1 and M-1 Visa status attending schools operating entirely online may not take a full online course load and remain in the US.
The country's Department of State, it added, would not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programmes that were conducted online in full for the fall semester nor would the US Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter.
"Foreign students currently in the US enrolled in such programmes must depart the country or take other measures, such as transferring to a school with in-person instruction to remain in lawful status.
"Foreign students with F-1 Visa status attending schools adopting a hybrid model— a mixture of online and in-person classes — will be allowed to take more than one class or three credit hours online."
In this regard, the embassy said these schools must certify to SEVP that the programme was not conducted entirely online, that the student was taking the minimum number of online classes required to make normal progress in their degree programme.
Meanwhile, foreign students with F-1 Visa status attending schools operating under normal in-person classes were bound by existing federal regulations.
"The embassy urges Malaysian students who may be affected by this ruling to reach out directly to their respective universities, particularly their academic advisors and the university's international office, as the universities' decision with regard to fall classes will be crucial in determining the students' immigration status," the embassy added.