The United States has abruptly paused the cancellation of student visas issued to international students, according to media reports on Friday.
During a hearing in a Washington D.C. court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph F. Carilli Jr. informed the court that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is developing a new system to review and process visa revocations. Until the new mechanism is in place, the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) status of affected students nationwide “will remain Active or shall be reactivated if not currently active,” he said. ICE will not alter student records solely on the basis of National Crime Information Centre (NCIC) findings that led to the recent visa terminations, a leading U.S. media outlet reported.
So far, over 1,500 student visas have reportedly been revoked. What will happen to students who left the U.S. after their visas were cancelled remains unclear.
The cancellations primarily affected students allegedly involved in pro-Palestinian protests across U.S. university campuses, held in opposition to Israel’s military actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. Some visa revocations were also linked to other legal violations.
The Trump administration has also reportedly taken a hard stance against universities it believes failed to counter protests or ensure the safety of Jewish students adequately.
A significant number of affected students are from India. According to a U.S. lawyers’ association, Indian nationals accounted for 50% of the over 300 visa cancellations reviewed by the group. However, no official breakdown has been publicly released.
The decision to pause cancellations comes amid a series of lawsuits filed by or on behalf of students whose visas were revoked.
“It is not in the national interest of the United States… to invite people onto our university campuses who are not just going to study physics or engineering, but who are also going to foment movements that support and excuse foreign terrorist organizations,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, defending the government’s actions. “These are groups committed to the destruction of the United States and the killing, raping, and kidnapping of innocent civilians — not just in Israel, but wherever they can.”
(With IANS inputs)
