Rebeca Adelaida Urzúa was planning for an internship this fall until she received an email from the college’s International Student and Scholar Services about updated rules for international students such as herself.

“I had friends that were planning to save their last year for an internship. Usually they do that because they want to get hired in that company, and now that plan is ruined for them too,” said Urzúa, a senior music major from Mexico.

Under new federal guidance, F-1 students cannot use Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, for internships tied to elective courses. Columbia’s Career Center was notified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program in August about the change, then an update weeks later. CPT is a form of work authorization that allows eligible F-1 students to participate in internships and other practical training related to their studies.

The rule changes narrowed the standards for CPT, specifying that the training must be an integral or essential part of a student’s course of study rather than primarily a means of obtaining employment. 

Clare Lake, director of International Student and Scholar Services at Columbia, said the new rules are too strict.

“I think it’s important to know that international students just add a lot to an institution. They bring their different viewpoints, different ideas to the classroom,” Lake said. 

Lake is a member of the Association of International Educators, which filed a class action lawsuit against the DHS and the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

The rule changes have since been paused by federal Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV until a hearing on Friday, Oct. 2. 

In a 48-page ruling issued in September, Saylor said that foreign students and researchers have made positive economic and technological impacts since they have been allowed in the United States.

At Columbia, the interior architecture major, Semester in LA and music composition for the screen master’s degree program are the only ones that require Columbia students to complete an internship. 

These internships are some of the few jobs international students can work besides on-campus jobs, but last spring, the college announced it would restrict student workers for most positions to 15 hours per week, down from 20, as the Chronicle previously reported.

Laura Daniels,the director of career development and experiential learning, said that for some students, an internship is a high priority because it provides professional experience, career exploration, networking and the application of learned classroom skills.

“How students prioritize them varies based on their individual goals, major, career interests and circumstances,” Daniels said to the Chronicle in an email. “Our role at the Career Center is to help each student understand the opportunities available to them and develop a path that aligns with their academic and career goals.”

Sophomore film and television major Taeho Pak, who returned this fall as a sophomore after his first year in 2023, said he already was worried that his work options were limited.

“I can’t just work anywhere,” said Pak, who is from Korea. “Internships and school-related jobs are some of the few opportunities I have. So hearing that we’re losing one of those options makes me feel like my opportunities are getting smaller and smaller.” 

Urzúa was fortunate to participate in two internships before the rules came about, carrying with her a lot of knowledge from the professional world she can take into the future. 

“Seeing those things firsthand in real life, personally, in-person situations definitely taught me how to speak, how to move around, multitasking was definitely a huge skill that I learned in both my internships that I completed,” said Urzúa, who is a head engage leader and a student representative on the National Alumni Board of Columbia College.

Senior fashion studies major Maria Mendoza Ocampo was both worried and disappointed about the proposed new restrictions. Mendoza came to Columbia from Mexico for the opportunities to work in the field she loved and to have a career after graduation.

“As an international student you need to work twice as hard as everyone else,” Ocampo said. “We legally can only work on campus, and our tuition tends to be higher than a domestic student, so most of us depend heavily on the scholarships and financial support that our schools provide.”

Copy edited by Camila Verzino