On July 6, 2020, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that international students, specifically on the F-1 visa, who are taking classes entirely online this fall will not be allowed to enter the United States or must leave if they're already in the country.

With the rising news of various colleges such as Harvard and the University of Southern California remaining online for the fall semester, there is an uncertainty for international students about what their near futures hold. We call for UVA to either once again confirm that the fall semester will be hybrid, or to take steps in order to protect and/or advocate for students under this visa should a fully online semester be considered.

Alongside the various travel bans to other countries from the United States, ICE's announcement puts international students in a difficult position. No student should be forced to choose between their education and their health and safety. 

Please help to ensure that UVA will fight for our students and pledge to support them.