The US will begin allowing student visa applications up to a year in advance, it was announced on February 22.

Students from Ukraine and Sudan in the US have been given Special Student Relief, meaning they can access work permits and have protection from deportation.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has said that F-1 students seeking Optional Practical Training can file the Form I-765 online.

USCIS has announced flexible measures for certain international students who had experienced delays in receiving their receipt notices for OPT.

A US judge has upheld the STEM OPT program by ruling that the DHS did not exceed its statutory authority in issuing the 2016 OPT Program Rule. 

International students say they are ready to mount a legal challenge if they are forced to leave the US due to delays around OPT processing.  

Educators in the US have welcomed a ruling that permanently blocks a USCIS policy which put international students at risk of three and 10-year re-entry bans for incurring a visa status violation.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services has issued a revised policy that gives international students less leeway when it comes to "unlawful presence" due to violating their visas.