The Trump administration has moved to tighten oversight of work authorisations for international students in the United States, warning universities that misuse of internship programmes could jeopardise their eligibility to enrol foreign students.
A federal memo issued on August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), had identified a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) approvals that appeared to violate rules requiring such training to be an integral part of an established academic curriculum.
The memo warned that institutions failing to comply with SEVP requirements could lose their certification to enrol international students.
The guidance has prompted some universities, including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California, Berkeley, to temporarily suspend certain CPT applications.
A UCLA spokesperson said the university had paused some CPT authorisations while reviewing the latest federal guidance and determining its next steps.
UC Berkeley’s international office described the August 24 memo as more restrictive and direct than earlier guidance issued in mid-August. It said certain work authorisation applications were unlikely to be processed in the near future and advised affected international students to plan accordingly.
The university said it would continue processing CPT applications linked to degree requirements and would resume applications related to doctoral dissertation and master’s thesis research. It added that legal experts would be consulted to develop procedures complying with the new federal requirements.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said the regulations themselves had not changed but warned universities and employers that the administration would no longer tolerate abuse of the CPT system.
The latest move comes as the Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of US universities, including through investigations and funding threats related to pro-Palestinian protests, diversity programmes, climate initiatives and transgender policies. Rights groups have expressed concerns over free speech, academic freedom and due process.
Separately, the Justice Department on Thursday accused George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences of using admissions practices that favoured Black and Hispanic applicants, based on findings from a federal investigation.
The university rejected the allegations, saying it was disappointed with the department’s conclusions and maintained that its admissions policies complied with the law and were not discriminatory.
The Justice Department has made similar allegations against other universities and said it would seek settlements before pursuing litigation if those efforts fail.
