Trump administration memo seeks to restrict international students’ CPT internships

US President Donald Trump's administration has issued a memo to universities seeking to restrict certain internship work authorisations for international students, warning that institutions that fail to comply with federal regulations could lose their certification to enrol foreign students.The August 24 memo said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorisations that appeared to violate regulations. Under the rules cited in the memo, CPT is permitted only when the training is an integral part of an established curriculum, Reuters reports.Colleges face certification warning"Failure to comply with SEVP regulations may result in an institution losing certification to enroll foreign students," the memo said.The warning has already prompted some universities to pause certain applications for work authorisations for international students. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and the University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), are among the institutions that have taken such steps."UCLA has paused certain Curricular Practical Training authorizations while it reviews recent federal guidance and determines next steps," a UCLA spokesperson said.The move highlights the pressure universities face as they try to interpret the federal guidance while ensuring that their programmes comply with the government's requirements.Berkeley calls memo more restrictiveUC Berkeley's international office described the August 24 memo as "more narrow in focus, more direct, and includes content that is more restrictive in nature". The federal government had also issued an earlier memo in mid-August.The university's international office said it was unlikely to process certain work authorisation applications "in the near future" and urged affected international students to plan accordingly.However, the office said it would continue processing "degree-requirement" CPT as usual and resume processing "Doctoral Dissertation and Master's Thesis Research CPT". It also said it would consult legal experts to develop new processes that comply with the new federal requirements.The distinction suggests that the immediate impact will not be uniform across all international students, with some forms of curriculum-linked training continuing while universities review other applications.Homeland Security puts schools on noticeThe Department of Homeland Security, the parent department of ICE, maintained that the underlying regulations had not changed."Nothing about these regulations has changed," the department said in a statement. "However, schools and employers should consider themselves on notice: under President Trump, abuse of this generous system will no longer be tolerated."The administration's position frames the action as enforcement of existing regulations rather than the introduction of a new set of rules. For universities and international students, however, the more restrictive guidance and resulting pauses in some applications could have practical consequences while institutions determine how to comply.UP Board Pushes APAAR IDs For Classes 9-12, Aims To Digitise Student RecordsUniversities already under Trump pressureThe development comes as Trump has targeted universities with investigations and funding threats over several issues, including pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel's assault on Gaza, diversity initiatives, climate programmes and transgender policies.Rights advocates have raised concerns over free speech, academic freedom and due process.Protesters, including some Jewish groups, have argued that opposition to Israel's assault on Gaza and its occupation of Palestinian territories is not antisemitic. They have also maintained that advocating for Palestinian rights is not the same as supporting extremism.The internship guidance therefore adds another point of tension between the Trump administration and universities, this time directly affecting how institutions handle work opportunities linked to the studies of international students.

US President Donald Trump’s administration has issued a memo for ​universities, seeking to restrict the issuance of certain internship work authorisations for international students as the federal government ‌warns that colleges not complying with the regulations may lose certification to enroll foreign students. The federal memo dated August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), which is part of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), has “observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorisations that appear to ​violate regulatory requirements which permit CPT only where the training is an integral part of an established curriculum”. “Failure to ​comply with SEVP regulations may result in an institution losing certification to enrol foreign students,” the ⁠memo said. It resulted in some schools, including the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of California, Berkeley, pausing certain ​applications for work authorisations for international students. “UCLA has paused certain Curricular Practical Training authorisations while it reviews recent federal guidance and determines ​next steps,” a UCLA spokesperson said. UC Berkeley’s international office said the August 24 memo was “more narrow in focus, more direct, and includes content that is more restrictive in nature”. The federal government had also issued an earlier memo in mid-August. UC Berkeley’s international office said it is unlikely that it ​will process certain work authorisation applications “in the near future” and urged those international students to plan accordingly. It said it will continue ​processing “degree-requirement” CPT as normal and would resume processing “Doctoral Dissertation and Master’s Thesis Research CPT”. The office said it would consult legal experts to develop ‌new processes ⁠aligning with new federal requirements. “Nothing about these regulations has changed,” the Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent, said in a statement. “However, schools and employers should consider themselves on notice: under President Trump, abuse of this generous system will no longer be tolerated.” Trump has targeted universities with probes and funding threats over issues like pro-Palestinian protests against US ally Israel’s assault on Gaza, diversity initiatives, climate ​programmes and transgender policies. Rights ​advocates have raised free speech, ⁠academic freedom and due process concerns. Separately, the US Justice Department (DOJ) alleged on Thursday that admissions practices at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services favoured Black and Hispanic applicants, citing ​findings of a probe as the Trump administration continued its diversity crackdown. “We are disappointed by the ​DOJ’s conclusions, which ⁠we believe are incorrect,” the university said, saying the admissions policies were in compliance with law and not discriminatory. The Justice Department has alleged similar bias at other schools, saying the department aims for settlement talks. If those efforts fail, the department will file suit, it ⁠said.