New Legal Requirements for F-1 Foreign Students in Public Schools
U.S. Department of State
Office of Visa Services
March 1997
Congress recently enacted new limitations on certain foreign students planning to study in U.S. public elementary and secondary schools. Section 625 of Public Law 104-208, which took effect on November 30, 1996, places the following restrictions on foreign students in F-1 immigration status:
-- Prohibits their attendance in public elementary schools (grades K through 8) or publicly-funded adult education programs;
-- Limits their attendance in public secondary schools (grades 9 through 12) to a maximum of 12 months; and
-- Requires them to reimburse public secondary schools for the full, unsubsidized per capita cost of education for the intended period of study.
