SEVP COVID-19 and Fall 2020 guidance

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released guidance for the Fall 2020 semester on July 6, 2020:

Read the full SEVP COVID-19 Guidance and Fall 2020 guidance.

Per this guidance, students in English language training programs are not permitted to enroll in online courses. Because we intend to have HELP’s Fall 1 2020 term in-person, students enrolled in Fall 1 2020 will maintain their F-1 status and are allowed to stay in the U.S. for studies.

New international students who want to enroll full-time in HELP’s Fall 1 2020 program will need to apply for an F-1 student visa. New students should frequently check the status of their local U.S. Embassy and apply for visa interviews as soon as they are available.

While our current plans for Fall 2020 meet the new guidelines, the ICE guidance for Fall 2020 provides unreasonable requirements for international students on F-1 visas, and especially for students in English language programs like HELP. As we navigate these new obstacles & advocate for change, we want to remind students that #YouAreWelcomeHere. You can view the UH #YouAreWelcomeHere video which HELP Director Joel and HELP students participated in on YouTube: