The Justice Department announced the wholesale reversal in federal court Friday after weeks of intense scrutiny by courts and dozens of restraining orders issued by judges who deemed the mass termination of students from a federal database — used by universities and the federal government to track foreign students in the U.S. — as flagrantly illegal.
The USA has 1.1 million students in its database, which adds $44 billion to the US economy in one year.
March 22, 2025
Nepal comes right after India and China in US Student Visa Cancellation. Bangladesh and South Korea make up the top five countries in the list of students whose visas have been cancelled. Many of these actions are being taken without prior notice, often based on minor legal infractions or vague grounds, leaving thousands of international students suddenly out of status, unable to work, and uncertain about their future in the U.S.Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has terminated 4,736 SEVIS records, the majority of which were linked to F-1 visa holders. Yet, only 14 percent of affected students received any formal notice from ICE, all of whom were on OPT. An additional 7 percent received no communication at all—neither from the government nor from their educational institutions.
Main target for the visa cancellations are students who were involved in political protest But some students whose visa have been cancelled had police records such as speeding, parking violations, seat belt violations, failure to yield to emergency vehicles etc. Some have serious crimes such as domestic violence.
Here is a list of countries that have been impacted:
- India:
- Number Affected: Approximately 163–164 students (based on AILA’s report of 327 total visa cancellations, with ~50% being Indian).
- Details: Indian students, the largest international student group in the U.S. (331,602 in 2023–24), have been heavily impacted.
- China:
- Number Affected: Approximately 45–46 students ( 14% of 327 cases). Additional reports confirm at least 19 students identified by Inside Higher Ed
- Details: Chinese students (277,398 in 2023–24) are the second-largest group affected. High-profile cases include a Dartmouth Ph.D. student and an MIT student. Some revocations are linked to minor infractions or unclear reasons.
- Number Affected: Approximately 45–46 students ( 14% of 327 cases). Additional reports confirm at least 19 students identified by Inside Higher Ed
- South Korea:
- Nepal:
- Number Affected: Not explicitly quantified, but it falls among “significant” countries and number is likely fewer than 10 based on proportional estimates.
- Bangladesh:
- Number Affected: Not explicitly quantified, but it falls among “significant” countries and likely fewer than 10 based on proportional estimates.
- Number Affected: Not explicitly quantified, but it falls among “significant” countries and likely fewer than 10 based on proportional estimates.
- Kuwait:
- Saudi Arabia:
- Number Affected: At least 4 students.
- Number Affected: At least 4 students.
- Japan:
- Number Affected: At least 3 students .
- Number Affected: At least 3 students .
- Turkey:
- Number Affected: At least 2 students
- Details: Öztürk, a Tufts Ph.D. student, had her visa revoked, allegedly for pro-Palestinian activism. Another Turkish student was noted in data reviews.
- Number Affected: At least 2 students
- Colombia:
- Number Affected: At least 2 students (one high-profile case at the University of Florida).
- Details: Felipe Zapata Velázquez was deported after traffic violations, and another Colombian student was part of a lawsuit challenging revocations.
- Number Affected: At least 2 students (one high-profile case at the University of Florida).
- Mexico:
- Number Affected: At least 1 student .Details: A Mexican student was included in the legal challenge, with no specific reason for revocation provided.
- Number Affected: At least 1 student .
- Russia:
- Number Affected: At least 1 student ,Petrova.Details: Petrova’s visa was revoked, possibly due to her opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, leading to detention and deportation proceedings.
- Number Affected: At least 1 student ,Petrova.
- Gambia:
- Number Affected: At least 1 student ,Momodou Taal.Details: Taal faced visa issues linked to pro-Palestinian activism and chose to leave voluntarily while his case was pending.
- Number Affected: At least 1 student ,Momodou Taal.
.gif)
