Last week the US immigration service announced new conditions for international students. In order to retain their visas, these students were supposed to take at least one on-campus class after the summer.
Both Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) swiftly brought legal action against the government. According to these institutions, President Trump’s new measure aims to force universities to reopen, even though the coronavirus is still spreading in the US.
‘Unlawful’
More than one million international students study in the US. Dozens of other universities, including all institutions in the prestigious Ivy League, stood firm behind Harvard and MIT in this matter.
The American government has bowed to the pressure and revoked the new rules, as announced by a federal judge during a public hearing in Boston.
‘This is a significant victory’, writes Harvard president Larry Bacow. According to him, American universities now have a strong legal position should the Trump administration again act ‘unlawfully’.
