Now, three Harvard students and two recent graduates were abruptly stripped of their student visas.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the student-run newspaper, Harvard officials learned of the visa cancellations during a “routine rounds review” of their records.
“We are not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them,” the Harvard International Office wrote in the email.
It added, “…but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe.”
his comes hot on the heels of several students from Stanford University, the University of California and the University of Massachusetts Amherst who got their student visas revoked.
Once a student’s visa (F-1B) is revoked, the student loses the legal right to stay in the United States and faces the risk of being deported to their home countries. Remaining in the US without lawful immigration status could lead to fines, detention, and/or deportation.
At Stanford, two recent graduates and four students lost their student visa status, the university confirmed. The university came to know about it during a routine check of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database. SEVIS is a web-based system that tracks nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States.
Stanford promptly notified the students of the revocations and provided them with access to external legal assistance. The university, citing privacy concerns, declined to name the students or offer further details. It also stated that, as of April 4, when the university learned about the revocations, it had no indication of any federal immigration presence on campus.Similarly, at the University of California, seven current students and five recent graduates have had their F-1 visas revoked. The university noted that this number may change as the situation evolves. Chancellor Gary S May said that no federal agents have entered the campus or detained any members of the university community.
Five international students of the University of Massachusetts Amherst have had their visas revoked and their student status terminated by the authorities.
Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that over 300 international students have had their visas revoked for supporting Hamas or other designated terrorist organisations. Rubio had launched an AI-powered app, “Catch and Revoke”, to detect and cancel the visas of such students.
“Maybe more; it might be more than 300 at this point. We do it every day. Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa,” Rubio had said at a press conference. He added, “Every country in the world has a right to decide who comes in as a visitor and who doesn’t.”
Reports suggest that the officials will now closely monitor social media activities for new student visa applicants across F (academic study), M (vocational study), and J (exchange) visa categories. Applicants found to be supporting terror groups will be barred from studying in the US.
