As you may have read in the news, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has modified the rules governing the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) for this fall. Most notably, in order to maintain status, students who are in the U.S. with an F-1 visa will be required to take at least one in-person course.
Many of you have already expressed concern over the continued progress of our international students at CSI. The Center for Global Engagement, along with the President, the Provost, and the Deans are working hard to ensure that our students will be able to continue their studies and remain in the U.S. this fall. Chancellor Matos Rodriguez has issued a statement in support of our international students and decrying the rule change, and President Fritz has emailed all of our students earlier today emphasizing our commitment to their continued success here at CSI. In his statement, the Chancellor noted that “CUNY campuses have thousands of international students whose status is threatened by the new rule. These students are a valuable and a vital part of our community. I have instructed my administration to explore and pursue measures that would help these students remain in the country and continue their education at CUNY.”
Please know that CSI is taking this mandate very seriously and exploring all options for our F1 students. Alongside CUNY, we are developing a plan that will allow all of our CSI international students to stay in the U.S. this coming term and beyond. Our strategy may include a range of course options that meet the new ICE guidance while protecting the immigration status of our students, as well as protecting the health, safety, and welfare of our students, faculty, and staff. Further, we understand that each passing minute creates anxiety for our students and our faculty and have an “all-hands-on deck” approach to resolving this quickly.
As we learn more from SEVP and develop our own solutions, we will be communicating with you, our students, and the community. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact either of us with any questions.
Thank you for your continued support of our international students.
By Michael Parrish
