US policy change bars foreign students opting for online only classes

New Delhi : The United States on Friday announced that it will not be taking in any new foreign students who opts for an online-only study, after rescinding a hotly contested order to expel those already here and preparing for that because of the pandemic.

The policy change was announced in a statement by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

To combat the unemployment  in the US, Donald Trump has made several changes in the Visa policies for the US.

The decision has also been taken in view of Donald Trump's eagerness to reopen educational institutions. He is pushing for this even though the virus is out of control in some states, with the US death toll a world-high of more than 144,000.

His administration is leaving it largely up to states themselves to figure out how to open schools safely.

Most US colleges and universities have not yet announced their plans for the fall semester but Harvard has said all its classes for the 2020-21 academic year will be conducted online, "with rare exceptions."