Home / SEVP COVID Guidelines No Longer In Effect
After 3 years, SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Program), the government agency that controls F-1 international student immigration records, has announced the upcoming end to the flexibilities implemented at the start of the COVID pandemic in March 2020.
COVID-19 flexibilities were originally offered to accommodate national emergencies including restrictions and disruptions to travel and broad changes in teaching methods at the time. These flexibilities were always intended as a temporary measure to allow you to continue your studies with the fewest disruptions, and did not signify or result in a permanent change to the regulations. They are now scheduled to sunset and will no longer be in effect starting in the Fall semester, with a return largely to pre-pandemic rules for F-1 students.
This has some important impacts for you and the in-person requirements that you will have to meet. Primarily:
One permanent change that will remain is the allowance for digital signatures on immigration documents. We may continue to sign and transmit your I-20 documents electronically.
For a full list of SEVP updates, you can check out this summary or list of FAQs.