U.S. administration warns universities over international student internship rules

The Trump administration has issued a memo through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) targeting internship work authorizations for international students. The agency reported an increase in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations that appear to violate regulations requiring training to be an integral part of an established curriculum.

Universities have been warned that failure to comply with SEVP regulations could result in the loss of their certification to enroll foreign students. In response to the guidance, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has paused certain CPT authorizations while reviewing the federal memo.

The University of California, Berkeley also described the recent guidance as more restrictive and direct than previous communications. Berkeley officials stated they are unlikely to process certain work authorization applications in the near future, though they will continue to handle CPT related to degree requirements and plan to resume authorizations for doctoral dissertation and master’s thesis research.