Temporary Exemptions for F-1 Students
Update April 3, 2023: Covid exemptions have ended and we are back to the current regulations regarding on-campus courses. Visit the Maintaining Status webpage for more information.
Update April 18, 2022: ICE Continues March 2020 Guidance for the 2022-23 Academic Year
COVID-19 guidance from March 2020 is still currently in place until further notice. This temporary exemption allows students to register for a minimum of one on-campus course each semester. If you plan to enroll in one or more of the 8-week courses during a given semester, at least one of your on-campus courses must begin on the semester start date, and at least one on-campus course must end on the semester end date.
The March 2020 guidance is available on ICE.gov.
COVID-19 Global Concern
Read NAFSA’s COVID-19 Restrictions on U.S. Visas and Entry page for the most up to date US entry restrictions related to COVID-19.
The University of Illinois Springfield has established the UIS COVID-19 Response Team to monitor our university’s preparedness in response to the growing global concern about the novel coronavirus COVID-19. This interdisciplinary team is working in alignment with the UI System Planning and Response Team to ensure coordination with system responses as well as to ensure our university is properly prepared to meet the unique needs of our students, faculty and staff.
The Office of Web Services has created a new website, United in Safety, to keep all UIS stakeholders informed of our preparedness efforts and to address any frequently asked questions we’re hearing from our university community. Additionally, UIS Health Services continues to lead the way in providing advice to aid in the prevention of illness and share recommendations from the CDC, IDPH and other health partners to stay healthy.
Operation OPTical Illusion
SEVP and DHS have continued to battle OPT fraud through an ongoing law enforcement operation called OPTical Illusion, aimed at targeting individuals attempting to exploit the student visa system. By supporting this operation, SEVP helped ensure the continued integrity of the OPT program.
USCIS Issues Policy Guidance Clarifying How Federal Controlled Substances Law Applies to Naturalization Determinations
USCIS is issuing policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual to clarify that violations of federal controlled substance law, including violations involving marijuana, are generally a bar to establishing good moral character for naturalization, even where that conduct would not be an offense under state law. The policy guidance also clarifies that an applicant who is involved in certain marijuana-related activities may lack good moral character if found to have violated federal law, even if such activity has been decriminalized under applicable state laws.
Since 1996, some states and the District of Columbia have enacted laws to decriminalize the manufacture, possession, distribution, and use of both medical and non-medical (recreational) marijuana in their respective jurisdictions. However, federal law classifies marijuana as a “Schedule I” controlled substance whose manufacture (which includes production, such as planting, cultivation, growing, or harvesting), distribution, dispensing, or possession may lead to immigration consequences.
UIS Statement on Immigration
“The University of Illinois Springfield fosters and celebrates the diversity of its students, faculty, and staff as a foundational aspect of our mission and our service to the public good. We support the safety, well-being, and success of all members of our University community, including those whose families have immigrated to the United States and those who have traveled to UIS and the surrounding community to study, research, teach, or serve as staff and administrators. Creating a campus that is welcoming and inclusive to all is vital to our mission, vision, and values, and is also vital to our goal of creating and sustaining global leaders, scholars, and citizens, through engagement and innovation.”