Welcome to Dale's Digest, a curated newsletter from Foreign Credentials Service of America (FCSA). Below are a collection of articles from reliable sources regarding news and trends in international enrollment.
As a reminder, NAFSA is tracking all reports of visa revocations, SEVIS terminations, entry issues, or other atypical immigration issues through IssueNet. You do not need to be a member of NAFSA to use IssueNet. Please submit any relevant information including: visa revocation information, how the student was notified, what language was used in the notification, SEVIS terminations, what kind of termination code was used, what termination explanation was provided, etc. The more information NAFSA can gather through IssueNet, the more they can advocate on our behalf and provide support and resources.
On Thursday, April 3, NAFSA held a members-only webinar on the topic. Although it was not recorded, my own takeaways from the conversation were the importance of taking these steps:
Discuss protocol with general counsel and other campus administrators, including notification procedures and whether institutional policies will allow the student to continue their enrollment after a SEVIS termination;
Monitor your termination lists on a regular basis;
F-1 SEVIS has a “Terminated Status Students (past 18 months)” list in the Student List section.
J-1 SEVIS has a “Terminated Status Exchange Visitors and Dependents” list in the EV List section.
If a termination appears, it is recommended to notify the student and your campus leaders, including general counsel, as quickly as possible. When notifying the student, provide the exact termination language in SEVIS so the student can share this with their own legal counsel.
Dozens of international students have had their visas revoked in the last few days alone. Since the start of Friday, revocations include — but are by no means limited to — cases at:
Central Michigan University: Several current and former students’ visas were stripped without notification, MLive reported.
Harvard University: Three students and two alumni saw their visas yanked, according to WCVB.
Kent State University: One current student and three recent graduates working under the Optional Practical Training program had their visas yanked, President Todd Diacon wrote.
Northeastern University: “Several” students and recent graduates were told by the Department of State that their visas were revoked, the university posted.
Ohio State University: Five students’ visas had been revoked as of Friday, The Columbus Dispatch reported. One reached out to the university, which then discovered others’ immigration statuses had also been changed.
Stanford University: Four students and two recent graduates had their visas yanked, according to KRON.
University of Idaho: Two students had their visas revoked this month, a spokesperson told The Spokesman-Review.
University of Kentucky: A “small number” of graduate students had their visas pulled, the institution’s president announced.
University of Michigan: Four students’ visas were revoked by the Department of Homeland Security, a spokesperson told WWJ.
UC Davis: Seven students and five recent graduates lost their visas without explanation, Chancellor Gary S. May said.
UC San Diego: Five students’ visas were terminated without warning, the chancellor’s office said on Friday. A sixth student was denied entry at the U.S. border and deported, according to KUSI.
