USCIS posted a notice that as of Aug. 19, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education no longer recognizes the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency. This change affects two immigration-related student programs and other immigration benefits. Click here to see a list of ACICS schools.
English language study programs
This week, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) published its quarterly “SEVIS by the Numbers” report announcing that there are over one million international students in the United States. Many of these students will seek employment with U.S. companies using work authorization granted to them pursuant to their F or M visa status. In
The new STEM OPT program became effective on May 10, 2016, and represents a complete overhaul of how this program has operated since 2008. For the uninitiated, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics; and OPT stands for Optional Practical Training. As previously reported, F-1 students with qualifying STEM degrees are now eligible
On October 19, the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) issued the long awaited notice of proposed rulemaking to amend its F-1 nonimmigrant student visa regulations to allow for an extension of a student’s Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) period for an additional 24 months if the student has met the requirements. The proposed rule is in