US revoke student visa rules after legal actions by top Universities

Washington : The United States government has revoked its controversial student visa rule that implies on students whose course has become online due to coronavirus pandemic, a federal judge said Tuesday.

Top US Universities like Harvard and MIT has filed a legal complaint against the announcement by the US authorities on July 6.

"The government has agreed to rescind" the decision as well as any implementation of the directive, Judge Allison Burroughs said in a brief hearing.

The universities had asked court to intervene and block the order issued by ICE that asked students to either leave the country or shift to a university that offers offline courses.

The measure was seen as a move by President Donald Trump administration to put pressure on educational institutions that are adopting a cautious approach to reopening amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The universities say in their lawsuit that the order would harm students "immensely," both personally and financially. 

More than 1 million international students are studying in the US.