UC Berkeley indefinitely suspends international student work authorizations

Aug 31, 2026 10:34 AM - 2 hours ago 4

The Berkeley International Office announced Wednesday that it will region world students’ applications for Course Credit Curricular Practical Training “for the foreseeable future.”

The agency is acting successful accordance pinch a caller U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo sent to the agency Monday, which is simply a follow-up to different memo sent little than 2 weeks earlier, which provides further guidance to universities to show CPT authorizations successful compliance pinch national regulations.

“It is improbable that we will beryllium processing specified applications successful the adjacent future, truthful please scheme accordingly,” BIO wrote successful an email sent to each world students. “We regret taking this action but we judge that it is successful the champion liking of students who clasp F-1 position and that of the university.”

Course Credit CPT is simply a activity authorization for world students, allowing visa holders to summation applicable activity acquisition successful speech for in installments toward their grade program.

Now, successful accordance pinch ICE’s updated warning, BIO will beryllium suspending each applications for Course Credit CPT, preventing world students from obtaining activity acquisition unless an “integral portion of an established curriculum.”

In its email, BIO said it hoped to resume processing Course Credit CPT applications adjacent week but said it needs much clip to consult ineligible counsel pursuing ICE’s warning.

The memo said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, a authorities programme that manages world and speech students nether ICE, has begun auditing schools to guarantee compliance. Failure to comply pinch the regulations whitethorn consequence successful an institution losing certification to enroll world students, according to the memo.

In the lawsuit that Designated School Officials are being pressured by superiors to make noncompliant decisions connected behalf of world students, SEVP introduced a caller extremity statement to study concerns for reappraisal by SEVP and Homeland Security Investigations.

BIO said it will proceed processing “degree-requirement” CPT arsenic accustomed and told world students that it remains “committed to ensuring that your world acquisition is fulfilling and rewarding pinch the coming limitations notwithstanding.”

“We want to proceed to stress that we do not return these actions lightly, arsenic we cognize the value that CPT plays successful your world journey,” BIO wrote. “We will activity collaboratively pinch world programs to guarantee that we person the basal infrastructure successful spot truthful that we tin move guardant pinch processing Degree Requirement CPT applications that comply pinch ICE requirements.”

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