The Trump administration has rescinded its controversial rule that would have stripped thousands of international students of their visas amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The reversal was announced Tuesday by a a U.S. District judge who was hearing a lawsuit filed by Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Boston Herald reports.
“I have been informed by the parties that they have come to a resolution,” U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said during a Tuesday hearing.
“The government has agreed to rescind the July 6, 2020 policy directive,” the judge said.
Under the order, international students would have been forced to leave the U.S. if they were exclusively taking online classes.
Many Ohio colleges have not yet decided whether to offer in-person courses this fall as the number of new coronavirus cases continues to rise nationwide.
Ohio State and the University of Dayton joined 180 other universities and colleges in a lawsuit aimed at reversing the order.
The Trump administration has been pressuring colleges to offer in-person classes, despite concerns about the spread of COVID-19, which has killed more than 135,000 people in the U.S.
“The Ohio State University is encouraged that the federal government will be maintaining flexibility for international students to continue their education this fall. Our international students are a vital part of our vibrant academic community, and Ohio State is committed to supporting their contributions to every discipline,” says a statement from OSU.
