Trump Rescinds Policy Forcing Foreign Students to Attend In-Person Classes

The Trump administration on Tuesday dropped its rule denying visas to international students attending classes entirely online, a federal judge in Boston announced.

The decision means foreign students won’t have to choose between returning to their home countries or transferring to a school holding in-person classes during the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs made the surprise announcement ahead of a hearing on a lawsuit brought by Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology challenging the rule.

“I have been informed by the parties that they have come to a resolution,” she said at the start of proceedings. “They will return to the status quo.”

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the new policy July 6 and was shortly met by multiple lawsuits, including one from a coalition of 17 states.

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