By Seema SirohiStay on or go home? Indian students in US universities have to make this important, but tricky, decision soon. Campuses are shutting down, often with little notice, to limit the spread of coronavirus . Spring break has turned into a nightmare because it’s not ending. Students have been told not to return. Some universities have asked they stay home for the rest of the semester.Undergraduate students from India are in a tough spot, because unlike graduate and PhD students, they depend on the university infrastructure. They tend to live in dorms and eat in the school cafeterias. Suddenly, that’s not an option.Harvard University asked students to move out by March 15 after giving them only a five-day notice. Scores of universities, including New York University (NYU), Yale, Princeton and University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), have switched to online teaching as cases of infection surface on campus.International students are confused and afraid. Should they place their faith in the US government response — haphazard, at best — to put a lid on the virus quickly, or head back home to family? Students and parents have to take a call, and sooner the better while flights are still operational. US carriers have already severely reduced the number of flights to Europe and Asia in light of the travel restrictions announced by President Donald Trump It’s not easy to up and leave — a thousand variables hang in the middle. If Indian students head home, what happens to their visa status, or their ability to use the three years of Optional Practical Training (OPT) allowed by the precious F-1 visa?If classes for the rest of the semester are online, the time difference will be a nightmare. The F-1 visa requirements, too, pose a challenge, because under the terms, students are not allowed multiple online courses. Will the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) block their return? Or will ICE melt a bit and change the rules given the extraordinary situation?Who knows, since the Trump administration is not exactly warm and fuzzy towards foreigners. Notably, international students pour significant money into the US economy — about $21 billion a year, according to the Institute of International Education.According to the latest data, 202,014 Indian students are currently enrolled in various US universities, India being the second-largest country of origin for foreign students after China. Graduate students from India form the bulk of the total, but the number of undergraduates grew by 6.3 % in 2018-19, which means more Indian students are in a limbo with campus shutdowns.So, where will they live while they decide? The Indian embassy and its five consulates are working on war-footing to advise the students with a 24×7 helpline. India’s newly arrived ambassador Taranjit Sandhu has plunged right in to lead the effort. Good that he can use his bank of knowledge and contacts from earlier stints in Washington The embassy has reached out to the Indian-American community to help the students who want to stay and ride out the situation. The response is ‘overwhelming’ and many have offered their homes. ‘Campus leads’, or designated Indian students in various universities, are connecting those looking for housing to those willing to offer it.Lists are being made, names collected and conference calls underway to create an instant safety net. Credit is due to the team of diplomats — by now a proven source in difficult situations involving Indian workers and students around the world.Each experience is a lesson and adds to the data bank of knowledge and contacts. Last year, the embassy had to deal with the arrest of 120 Indian students caught in a sting operation run by ICE, no less, involving a fake university. Farmington University was a front, and it lured many students.In the end, most students were granted ‘voluntary departure’, but only after strong interventions from the Indian government. The students lost their money and the US government was millions of dollars richer. Then, too, the Indian community — especially the Telugu associations, since most of the students were from Andhra Pradesh — came to the rescue, finding lawyers to represent the students.The coronavirus is far worse, and may last months. If the virus spreads exponentially as it is expected to, Indian students will also have to weigh which system is better equipped to deal with the virus. Unfortunately, neither India nor the US can claim to be a perfect model right now.