It is a disheartening reality that the world’s most powerful country, the USA is also the one worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has been suffering from the disease since right after its inception in China, and the situation is still grim. To give you a perspective of the damage, the state of New York alone is giving out the number of patients equal to other countries leading the list. This scenario does not look good for any country, and especially the non-residents who are in the country for various reasons. In this article, we will try and understand how things are looking up for Indian students who are stuck in the USA along with what are the latest developments in government policies regarding the same.

Overview of COVID-19 in the USA
Coronavirus took its initial steps in the USA on 20th January 2020, the first case in the mainland hailing back from a visit to the notorious province of Wuhan. The country has since then experienced a loss of more than 2.4% of its GDP within these 6 months, with an astonishing number of infected and dead individuals standing at more than 3.1 million and approximately 135 thousand respectively as at 8th July 2020.
Although the country has world-leading healthcare services as well as an Economy running in double trillion digits, lax government policies and general misinformation among the public have turned the situation for the worst. The infection cases are going up by tens of thousands every passing day, while people are losing their loved ones to the deadly virus. The government hopes to develop a vaccine for the virus in the coming days, as public policies are being strengthened to ensure a tighter grip on the situation. Many students have submitted leave applications and are moving back to their homes.

COVID-19 and Foreign Students
One of the silent suffering sectors in the middle of this conundrum has been the higher education sector, especially the thousands of students who have come abroad chasing the American dream.
The pandemic has devastated the academic year for most applicants who do not belong to the country, while their problems are multiplied due to immense mental pressure and emotional strain due to separation from the native land. After clearing some of the toughest exams in India like GMAT and GREs, students look forward to pursuing a smooth academic endeavour. Sadly, in this academic session, there are many knowledge fronts that the students will not be able to explore. Apart from networking opportunities, international work experience is a career objective that the students will not be able to complete to the fullest. ‘Why should you be hired for this internship’ may just become a dream question for many students.

USA Foreign Student Policy Update
The US Government has issued statements regarding the status of foreign students on its land. Here are some of the latest developments in the matter, issued by the US Government on July 6 2020::

Non Immigrant foreign students from Institutes which are offering fully online courses will not get a Visa extension to live in the USA. Even the students who live within the campus will get remote classes.

These students have a choice to take a transfer to an Institute which is offering physical classes. If not, they must leave the country as soon as possible otherwise they will be moved legally.

Students who are taking in-person classes cannot take more than 1 hour of online classes. Additionally, they are allowed to stay within the country to complete their education.

Students who are pursuing a mixture of online and in-person classes can take more than 1 online class each day. The data will be updated with SEVIS certifying that the entire course is not available online, and the student must take some classes remotely.

Useful Tips for Aspiring Students
However, the students must look forward to making the most of the opportunities to the best of their abilities. There are many options for foreign students which can help them carry themselves through this pandemic while ensuring that they take the best academic steps. Here are some of the available options:

Requesting Temporary Leave:: Students who are unwilling to go for online classes can request their institutions to extend them temporary leaves for the semester through a leave application. This will change their application status for a short period of time till they re-enrol with the institute later.

Online Learning During Summers/Fall:: Students can apply for online courses from their respective institutions, and pursue education remotely till the situation improves. When things are back to normal and students are asked to return back to the USA, they can easily transfer back to full-time courses.

Flexibility with OPT required hours:: OPT refers to Optional Practical Training which states that students must work 20 hours a week in case of the normal progression of their degree course. Even during the pandemic, students can utilise their time well by working part-time from home until the situation improves. Although the situation may seem quite grim, it does pay to stay positive till the end. Students who earn their place in top international universities surely have the potential to stand strong in these testing times and come out as a victor at the end of it all, both personally and academically. In the end, It can be quite reassuring to remember that all these precautions are for the sake of their own well being, and as the age old saying goes- Health is Wealth.