50% of students whose US visas revoked are Indians—report by immigration lawyers’ body

Report by American Immigration Lawyers Association says only 2% of students whose visas were revoked had history of engaging in political protests.

Representational image | X/@nyuniversity

New Delhi: Half of the international students whose visas have been revoked by the US in the last few weeks are Indian, according to a report by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), made public Thursday.

AILA collected data from attorneys, students and university employees on 327 visa revocations and SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record terminations.

The next impacted country is China, with 14 percent students facing visa revocation. Other affected students are from Bangladesh, Nepal and South Korea.

The US states most impacted by this include California, New York, Texas, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Virginia, Illinois and Massachusetts, the AILA says.

According to Open Doors 2024, an annual report published by the Institute of International Education that studies international educational exchange activity into and out of the US, the number of Indian students surpassed those from China in the nation in 2023-24. At 29 percent, Indians were the largest international student cohort in the US.

Under the Trump administration, the Department of State (DOS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been cracking down on international students, even those who do not have any history of engaging in political protests.

According to the AILA, only 2 percent of students whose visas were revoked had such history.

While 86 percent of students whose visas were revoked did report some kind of interaction with the police during their stay, nearly 33 percent had their case either dismissed or were never prosecuted.

While some students were domestic violence survivors, others interacted with the police for minor offences like speeding, illegal parking, and evading a police vehicle only because they thought of it being a fire truck. These interactions are highly common among US citizens and police on a daily basis.

The AILA has also said in its report that around 50 percent of the 327 students whose visas have been revoked were on Optional Practical Training (OPT), a provision under the F-1 student visa, meaning they had completed graduate studies in the US and were working in the country.

For such candidates, reinstating of legal status in the US is more difficult than those who are still pursuing their education.

Notices were received by 57 percent of the students regarding visa revocation mostly via email from their visa issuing consulate. Notices for SEVIS record termination varied significantly. A significant number received notices from their university, while about 7 percent had to voluntary reach out to the ICE to know their status as their account became inaccessible, according to the AILA.

In India, the opposition Congress has been pulling up the central government for not taking measures to protect Indian students in the US and to address their fears and apprehensions.

On Friday, Rajya Sabha MP and senior party leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the Union Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on X. “Will the External Affairs Minister take note and raise the concern with his US counterpart @DrSJaishankar?” he posted.

A day earlier, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal was also questioned on the subject at a press conference. “We are aware that several Indian students have received communication from the US government regarding their F-1 visa status, which happens to be the student visa. We are looking into the matter. Our embassy and consulate, they are in touch with the students to provide support,” he said.

Udit Bubna is an intern who graduated from ThePrint School of Journalism.

(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)