A group of higher-education organisations has sued the US government over new immigration guidance that sharply narrows when international students on F-1 visas can take internships and other practical training, according to Yale University's Office of International Students and Scholars. The guidance is still being applied on campuses this month, and students are being told to check with their university advisers before starting any placement.
Source: Yale OISS — CPT Update
In two broadcast messages on August 12 and August 24, 2026, ICE's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) set out a narrower reading of Curricular Practical Training (CPT): a school may authorise CPT only when the training is required of all students in the degree programme for completion of the degree, ICEF Monitor reported. CPT is the work authorisation that lets an F-1 student do an internship, practicum or co-op that is an integral part of their established curriculum.
Source: ICEF Monitor
Before: schools could authorise CPT for training integral to a student's programme, including elective placements. SEVP's August reading: CPT only if the training is required of every student in the programme. Lawsuit: filed October 5 in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Advice on campuses: do not start a placement until CPT is authorised and a new Form I-20 is issued.
On October 5, the Association of American Universities, the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, NAFSA: Association of International Educators and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts filed the lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Yale OISS and Envoy Global both reported. The plaintiffs argue the new reading could disrupt internship programmes, limit experiential learning and create uncertainty for employers that recruit international student talent, Envoy Global said.
Source: Envoy Global
The effect on campuses was immediate. Tufts University's International Center told students on August 28 that it was indefinitely pausing the affected programmes, and a Tufts student told the Tufts Tribune she lost the internship that was to be the highlight of her semester, the Tribune reported this week. Cornell announced stricter CPT criteria on August 31, saying CPT would be approved only for work embedded in the curriculum, required of all students for degree completion and supported by a formal agreement with the employer.
Source: Tufts Tribune
Yale said it has processed CPT requests only under the narrower test since August 24 and is reviewing curricula programme by programme, and it warned students not to begin CPT until it has been authorised and an updated Form I-20 issued. For Punjabi and other Indian students in the United States — many of whom build a degree around a summer internship — the practical point is simple: an offer letter alone is no longer enough, and the university's international office, not the employer, decides whether the placement qualifies under the current reading while the court case continues.