United States government has changed its policy as regards the deportation of international students whose courses move fully online because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The U-turn comes just one week after the policy announcement.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, and Harvard University sued the government over the plan.

District Judge Allison Burroughs in Massachusetts says the parties have come to a settlement.

The agreement reinstates a policy implemented in March, amid the virus outbreak, which allows international students to attend their classes virtually if necessary and remain legally in the country on student visas, according to the New York Times.

Reports say large numbers of foreign students travel to the US to study every year and are a significant source of revenue for universities.

Harvard announced recently that, because of concerns over the virus’s spread, course instruction would be delivered online when students return for the new academic year.

MIT, like a number of other educational institutions, said it would also continue to use virtual tuition. BBC