PLEASE NOTE: The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) ended its Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidance on May 11, 2023, consistent with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. As a result, all related statements, guidance and FAQs previously released by SEVP also terminated on May 11, 2023, and this content may be outdated. Learn more. 

F and M students and schools certified by SEVP should abide by guidance issued in March 2020.

The guidance enables schools and students to engage in distance learning in excess of regulatory limits due to the public health emergency generated by COVID-19. The March 2020 guidance applies to nonimmigrant students who were actively enrolled at a U.S. school on March 9 and are otherwise complying with the terms of their nonimmigrant status, whether from inside the U.S. or abroad. SEVP will not issue a temporary final rule impacting nonimmigrant students for the fall school term.

In accordance with March 2020 guidance, nonimmigrant students in new or initial status after March 9 will not be able to enter the U.S. to enroll in a U.S. school as a nonimmigrant student for the fall term to pursue a full course of study that is 100 percent online. Additionally, designated school officials should not issue a Form I-20 to a nonimmigrant student in new or initial status who is outside of the U.S. and plans to take classes at an SEVP-certified educational institution fully online.

Additional Resources
Refer to SEVP’s current policy guidance and frequently asked questions at ICE.gov/Coronavirus, under the Nonimmigrant Students and SEVP-certified Schools header:

• Broadcast Message 2003-01: Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Potential Procedural Adaptations for F and M Nonimmigrant Students 
• COVID-19: Scenarios for SEVP-certified Schools for Emergency Procedures 
• Frequently Asked Questions from SEVP Stakeholders about COVID-19

SEVP recently updated frequently asked questions with information to clarify the application of the March 2020 guidance to the fall 2020 semester and will continue to update these resources with the latest information and guidance. 

Please continue to refer to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of State and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the latest COVID-19 information, specific port-of-entry screening processes, as well as any travel restrictions. Visit the COVID-19 Resources page to find resources from government partners.