Viewpoint: Assisting International Students During COVID-19

Career Level: Basic-, intermediate-, and advanced-level
Competency: Job and experiential learning opportunity development
Fee: $29 (member); $49 (nonmember);

Summary
Join Nitin Agrawal, Interstride, and Aaron Blumberg of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen Loewy, LLP to delve into the challenges faced by international students during the current COVID-19 crisis and learn how colleges and universities can address these challenges. This session will provide an overview of the technology response to these challenges and the response from an immigration standpoint, including an analysis of the impact of COVID-19 and recent Executive Orders on work visas such as the H-1B and F-1 OPT.

Following this program, you will be able to:
- Understand the immigration impact and ramifications of the recent policy changes from the Trump administration;
- Explore how universities and colleges are adopting technology to best address challenges faced by international students during this paradigm shift; and
- Identify best practices that institutions can adopt to assist international students during the current crisis.
Presenters

Aaron Blumberg, Attorney-at-Law, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen Loewy, LLP
Aaron Blumberg is a partner at Fragomen’s Miami office, where he advises a diverse client base, including investors and entrepreneurs, colleges and universities, and multinational companies, on U.S. immigration law. He has deep experience advising on the distinctive immigration requirements of colleges and universities. He works on behalf of professors and researchers to secure EB-1 outstanding professor/researcher visas and, when appropriate, national interest waivers. He also assists large state universities seeking to become designated as J-1 sponsor schools, and he works with colleges and universities that have established J-1 programs to ensure that they remain compliant. Blumberg also advises international students on their visa options upon graduation. Additionally, he represents and assists a growing number of small businesses, start-ups, investors, and entrepreneurs who are working to expand their business footprint in the United States. In this capacity, he prepares and submits E-2 and EB-5 visa applications on behalf of clients.

Nitin Agrawal, Co-Founder, Interstride
Nitin Agrawal founded Interstride in 2017. Agrawal came to the United States to pursue higher education; while he found success in the United States, he had to overcome obstacles that ranged from culture to immigration. After attaining 15 years of experience as an international student and professional, he wanted to make life easier for the next generation of international students. Interstride is the result of his conviction that technology can empower these students to chase their dreams with confidence. Since its inception in 2017, Interstride has partnered with more than 130+ universities.