A coalition of Massachusetts public universities and community colleges called on federal immigration authorities Friday to rescind new rules issued this week that deny visas to international students if their college classes will meet online in the fall.
Educators said in a letter that they were “stunned” by the announcement Monday that international students could lose their visas despite an exemption granted in March, as universities and colleges began closing campuses in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“This rule change is cruel, irresponsible, and delivers more anxiety and confusion for international students in Massachusetts,” they said, asking that the exemption made in March be reinstated.
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At least one local student already has been blocked from entering the US: a man from Belarus who is enrolled at Harvard University. His case came to light in US District Court in Boston on Thursday, as an attorney for Harvard argued against the new policy in a lawsuit filed by Harvard and MIT.
Friday’s letter to the Department of Homeland Security and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was signed by leaders from the University of Massachusetts system and the Commonwealth’s nine state universities and 15 community colleges, as well as state Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago.
The educators said international students “are incredibly important to the cultural fabric of our institutions and the Commonwealth,” and they “contributed $3.2 billion and supported more than 38,000 jobs in the Commonwealth’s economy” during the 2018-2019 academic year.
These students are crucial to the success of the state’s institutions of higher education, the college leaders said, and their potential loss of visas “threatens the futures of many international students amidst quite grim public health prospects over the next several months.”
Jeremy C. Fox can be reached at jeremy.fox@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeremycfox.
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Mass. colleges ask immigration authorities to allow international students to stay - The Boston Globe
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