US Universities Restrict CPT Following New SEVP Directives

The changes follow two directives in August from the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP), a division of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which take a stricter view of when CPT can be authorised.

Universities including the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, the University of Southern California, the University of Washington, the University of Rochester and the University of California, Berkeley have paused pending applications or limited CPT to internships that are mandatory parts of a degree programme.

What changed?

CPT itself has not been banned.

On August 12, the SEVP issued a message reminding school officials of their responsibility when approving CPT.