Foreign students studying in the United States of America face deportation if their universities switch to online-only courses, the country’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Monday, July 6.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, some American universities were beginning to make the decision to transition to online courses. At colleges such as Harvard, all courses are to be delivered online.
In a news release, ICE said that students “may not take a full online course load and remain in the United States,” adding, “The US Department of State will not issue visas to students enrolled in schools and/or programs that are fully online for the fall semester nor will U.S. Customs and Border Protection permit these students to enter the United States.”
As at November 2019, the total number of international students studying in the USA was 1,095,299, according to the 2019 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. These are the latest available figures from the US government.
How many of these students are Zimbabwean?
According to the same report, there are 1,343 Zimbabwean students studying in the US. This makes Zimbabwe the seventh top Sub-Saharan African country sending students to the US.
The states hosting the highest number of Zimbabweans students are Massachusetts, Texas, New York, Florida and Pennsylvania, the report says.
Of the 1,343 Zimbabwean students studying in the USA, 743 are doing undergraduate studies, making up 55.3% of the number of students.
A total of 333 (24.8%) are post-grad, while 20 are in non-degree studies, and 247 are in Optional Practical Training (OPT). Students on OPT have temporary employment authorisation for practical training, such as internships, directly related to their studies.
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