US student visa: Trump administration tightens rules, cracking down on internships for international students
New restrictions could make it harder for international students to secure internships, adding fresh hurdles to gaining US work experience
A strict new federal directive from the Trump administration has placed higher education institutions on high alert, targeting the off-campus professional experience "Curricular Practical Training (CPT)."
With the government warning that universities mismanaging these work authorizations could risk losing their certification entirely, major campuses have begun scrambling, paused applications, and forced thousands of foreign students to anxiously rethink their immediate futures.
The federal memo dated August 24 said the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, which is part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, has "observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorizations 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 enroll foreign students," the memo said.
Issued by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)—part of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the directive warns universities that the government has observed a surge in CPT authorizations that appear to violate existing regulations.
Under current law, CPT allows F-1 visa students to participate in internships or work experience only when it is an integral and mandatory part of an established academic curriculum.
The administration is cracking down on programs it views as stretching or abusing these definitions.
The memo explicitly warns that colleges failing to comply with SEVP regulations risk losing their certification to enroll foreign students altogether.
Major universities, including institutions within the University of California system (such as UCLA and UC Berkeley), have paused processing certain non-degree-requirement CPT applications while reviewing the updated federal guidance.
As reported, the move aligns with the administration's broader, aggressive posture toward higher education and immigration.
Alongside tightening student work programs, the administration has increased scrutiny on foreign student compliance, targeted university funding and diversity initiatives, and implemented wider visa screening measures.
Administration officials defended the directive, stating that under President Trump, "abuse of this generous system will no longer be tolerated".
Meanwhile, legal experts and university international offices are scrambling to evaluate the memo to determine how deeply it will impact students' ability to secure practical, off-campus training experience during their degree programs.
