WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday issued a memo seeking to restrict certain internship work authorisations for international students, warning that colleges failing to comply with the regulations may lose certification to enrol foreign students.
The Aug 24 federal memo from the Student and Exchange Visitor Programme observed a rise in Curricular Practical Training (CPT) authorisations that “appear to violate regulatory requirements”. The agency noted CPT is permitted only when 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.
The directive resulted in schools, including the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of California, Berkeley, pausing certain work authorisation applications for international students.
“UCLA has paused certain Curricular Practical Training authorisations while it reviews recent federal guidance and determines next steps,” a university spokesperson said.
UC Berkeley’s international office said the memo is “more narrow in focus, more direct, and includes content that is more restrictive in nature”, warning it is unlikely to process certain applications in the near future.
Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2026
