USA – Updates for International Students

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Line

A flurry of confusing pandemic-related changes to immigration policy have international students struggling to understand how their visas and, ultimately, academic careers may be impacted by these troubling directives. This alert clarifies the most current policies impacting international students and which visa categories may be affected. As always, GYH attorneys are available for consultations to answer any questions you have about your immigration process.

Good News: Online-only Course Loads Allowed for International Students
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 6^th issued a directive that would have required international students to have at least some in-person classes in order to stay in the country. Last week, a swift lawsuit by Harvard and MIT, which argued the directive forced schools to choose between sacrificing international students and risking public health and safety, forced DHS to rescind the order.
The rescission of the directive restores the March 13 guidance permitting current students on F-1 visas to remain in the U.S. while taking online-only only course loads.
Unfortunately, newly enrolling international students are still not allowed to take online-only course loads but the case remains open and it is expected that the Trump Administration will also be asked to defend the restrictions facing newly-enrolled international students.

National Interest Exceptions to Schengen Travel Ban
The Department of State (DOS) announced that some students in the Schengen area, UK, and Ireland may qualify for a National Interest Exception (NIE). Students with valid F-1 or M-1 visas traveling from the Schengen Area, the UK and Ireland have been granted a blanket exception and do not have to take any special action to travel. Students travelling from these areas on J-1 visas should contact the nearest embassy or consulate to request a NIE.
Note that consular closures, which have been in place for months, largely remain in effect. Some posts are reportedly opening but, for the most part, we have seen little movement from these posts and few visas are being issued at this point.

SOURCE: https://www.grossmanyoung.com/

Why did I move to Ghana?

Posted on July 23, 2020 by Line

Ever since I relocated from Boston to Ghana in 2016, I regularly get asked a variation on the following question: “Why did you uproot your life and promising career path in the US and move on your own to Africa? You got your Ph.D. from MIT — I’m sure you must have had other options.”

The short answer is “Well, it certainly wasn’t my plan from the beginning! I knew embarrassingly little about Africa beforehand. I was getting attention around my work (My Ph.D. research is on exhibit at the MIT Museum– do visit if you’re in Boston!), and I did have job offers. But God challenged me to adopt a new framework for viewing the world and my role in it.”

The longer answer is multi-faceted, drawing from many aspects of my life experiences, and it continues to evolve along with the weaving of my life story. I can point to 4 main stages in my journey to/through/with Africa so far, and I’d love to take you through each of them. MORE

USA – ICE Agrees To Rescind Policy Barring Foreign Students From Online Study In The U.S.

Posted on July 19, 2020 by Line

In a swift reversal, the Trump administration has agreed to rescind a directive that would have barred international college students from the U.S. if their colleges offered classes entirely online in the fall semester.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rule change, released last week, would have prohibited foreign students from entering or remaining in the country to take fully online course loads. A number of colleges and universities had already announced plans to offer online-only classes because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency’s July 6 announcement was met with immediate backlash.

Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology sued the U.S. government in federal court two days later, calling the directive “arbitrary and capricious” and seeking to have it reversed and declared unlawful.

Many colleges, universities, municipalities and tech companies expressed their support for the legal challenge in their own court filings.

In Tuesday’s session at the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the universities were expected to make arguments saying that this rule was onerous for schools and even dangerous for students. MORE

USA – Refus des visas aux étudiants étrangers : La Californie attaque la décision en justice

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Line

Après l’Université de Harvard, le MIT, l’Etat de Californie a déclaré vouloir poursuivre l’administration Trump devant le tribunal fédéral. L’Etat et ces universités cherchent à bloquer la directive qui priverait les étudiants étrangers de visas si les cours étaient entièrement en ligne. – Elles ont fait valoir que la mesure plongerait l’enseignement supérieur dans le chaos.

Pour rappel : – L’administration Trump a annoncé lundi qu’elle n’autoriserait pas les étudiants et élèves étrangers à rester aux Etats-Unis si leur université ou école décidait de proposer des cours uniquement en ligne à la rentrée de septembre. – Le gouvernement américain ne « donnera pas de visas aux étudiants inscrits dans des programmes intégralement en ligne à l’automne et les gardes-frontières ne les laisseront pas entrer sur le territoire », a annoncé la police de l’immigration et des douanes (ICE) dans un communiqué.

En résumé, les étudiants étrangers dont les campus ne rouvriront pas pour le semestre d’automne seront tenus de retourner dans leur pays d’origine, car leurs visas ne seront plus considérés comme valides.
IMPORTANT : Si vous êtes étudiant non-américain déjà présent sur le territoire américain, le communiqué précise : « ils doivent quitter le pays ou prendre d’autres mesures – comme s’inscrire dans une école proposant des cours « en présentiel sur site» pour conserver leur statut légal. Sinon, ils pourront « faire face à une procédure d’expulsion ».

– Quand les établissements opteront pour un modèle « hybride », avec des cours en ligne et des enseignements sur site, ils devront certifier que leurs étudiants étrangers sont bien inscrits pour des sessions assurées sur leur campus, afin que ceux-ci conservent leur droit de séjour.
– Ces dérogations ne seront pas autorisées pour les études d’anglais ou pour des formations professionnelles.
– Les étudiants ont seulement 10 jours pour notifier le programme s’ils passent à des cours en ligne uniquement et probablement commencer le processus de quitter les États-Unis.
– La mesure concerne les visas F1 (pour des études académiques) ou M1 (pour des formations professionnelles)

Views of diverse students leaving class outside the Northwest Labs in Autumn. Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff Photographer

Deborah Washington Brown, the first Black woman to earn an applied math Ph.D. at Harvard, passed away June 5

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Line

Humble and soft-spoken, Deborah Washington Brown would never have described herself as a trailblazer.

But as the first Black woman to graduate from the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1981 with a Ph.D. in applied mathematics, she shattered the racial and gender barriers that still plague technology fields today.

Brown was the first Black computer scientist to earn a Ph.D. in the applied mathematics program at Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences , and also one of the first Black, female computer scientists to graduate from a U.S. doctoral program. MORE

Higher ed leaders back Harvard-MIT fight against ICE rules

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Line

A growing number of colleges and universities have announced plans to file amicus briefs in support of Harvard and MIT, including the University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Princeton, and Northeastern. MORE

FRANCE – Elisabeth Moreno, ministre de l’Égalité femmes-hommes

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Line

Nouvelle figure du gouvernement Castex, Elisabeth Moreno est désormais la ministre déléguée en charge de l’Egalité hommes-femmes. Cette patronne de la tech au parcours inspirant a vécu de lourdes épreuves, mais a gravi les échelons dans le milieu des entreprises technologiques. Elle s’apprête à entrer par la grande porte, rue Saint-Dominique.

Issue du milieu de la tech et directrice générale Afrique du groupe HP (Hewlett-Packard) depuis janvier 2019, Elisabeth Moreno était jusqu’à présent inconnue au bataillon. Plus jeune, elle se rêvait avocate et n’était donc pas prédestinée a faire carrière en politique. Pourtant c’est bien à Elisabeth Moreno que Marlène Schiappa a passé le flambeau de ministre déléguée chargée de l’Égalité femmes-hommes, de la diversité et de l’égalité des chances. Ce nouveau chapitre qui s’ouvre pour la Franco-cap-verdienne de 49 ans s’inscrit dans la continuité d’un parcours brillant.
Elisabeth Moreno a évolué dans le domaine scientifique et technologique, très souvent entourée de figures masculines et confrontée au sexisme. Une expérience que la nouvelle ministre déléguée en charge de l’Egalité femmes-hommes pourrait mettre à profit pour son portefeuille.

Elisabeth Moreno : le cœur au Cap-Vert, l’Hexagone comme nouveau départ

Née en 1970 à Terrafal, au Cap-Vert, c’est à l’âge de 6 ans qu’Elisabeth Moreno s’installe en France, accompagnée de ses parents et ses 5 petits frères et sœurs.

Fille d’un maçon et d’une femme de ménage, l’aînée veille très souvent sur sa fratrie et travaille bien à l’école. À son arrivée, elle ne connait pas un mot de français, mais apprend rapidement la langue de Molière. SUITE

Les cartes vertes et de nombreux visas de travail pour les Etats-Unis gelés jusqu’en 2021

Posted on June 23, 2020 by Line

Donald Trump vient de prendre une énième décision au nom de la lutte contre le chômage. En campagne pour sa réélection le 3 novembre, le président américain a décidé, lundi 22 juin, de donner un nouveau tour de vis migratoire avec le gel des cartes vertes et de certains visas de travail jusqu’en 2021.

Confronté à la destruction brutale de millions d’emplois en raison des mesures de confinement, le président républicain avait décidé il y a deux mois de suspendre pour soixante jours la délivrance des Green Cards, qui offrent un statut de résident permanent aux Etats-Unis, sans toucher aux visas de travail temporaires. SUITE

Et aussi – Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak

Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) will be offering a fully online experience during the 2020-21 academic year!

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Line

A message to incoming and continuing students
Dean Bridget Long
June 3, 2020

I am writing you today with an important update on our plans for academic year 2020–21. As you know, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, HGSE has been carefully considering a number of possible scenarios for our degree programs this coming year. We have contemplated a range of options, consulted with our faculty and staff, university administration, health officials, and leaders at other institutions, and considered how we might use our expertise and skills to hold true to our mission to prepare education leaders and innovators who will change the world by improving education. Through it all, we have focused on our top priority: the health and safety of our entire HGSE family, which includes you as our incoming and continuing students. MORE

Making a place for herself

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Line

Mahlet Shiferaw loved astronomy and physics, but had to overcome feeling like an outsider in fields that draw few women and fewer African Americans

Growing up, Mahlet Shiferaw developed a love for drawing and was a huge fan of science fiction and fantasy genres, children’s classics like J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series and C.S. Lewis’ “Chronicles of Narnia,” and she was “obsessed with drawing unicorns.” MORE