Student Visa Cancellation News: Trump Reverses Stance on Canceling Student Visas -

Student Visa Cancellation News: The US government has stopped its widespread visa enforcement after taking away the legal status of thousands of overseas students in recent weeks. On Friday, the administration of Donald Trump informed a federal judge that it would be reactivating student registrations for those whose legal status had been abruptly cancelled. Additionally, the statement comes after a flurry of lawsuits brought by students who were informed that their legal right to study in the US had been revoked, frequently with no apparent reason.

Reports state that the ruling was made public at a Friday court session. One of the several foreign students who are now challenging the Trump administration had presented a challenge to the federal judge. Thousands of international students were left behind after their records were removed from a database of the roughly 1.1 million foreign student visa holders, renouncing their legal status and placing them in danger of deportation due to strict immigration enforcement.

Immigration officials started the operation earlier this month by detaining several international students on suspicion of having connections to pro-Palestinian demonstrations. In other instances, senior Trump administration officials had also advocated for students to “self deport.” Later, the restrictions were extended to thousands of international students for infractions that were either small or non-existent, and many of them were imprisoned or jailed.

Student Visa Cancellation News: How many students’ documents have been deleted?

More than 4,700 student documents have been deleted from the US immigration customs database since Trump took office on January 20th, according to the American Association of Immigration Barriers. Information Bank also pursues international student addresses, final status and other details, but is keeping an eye on compliance with Visa requirements.

To stay in the database, holders of student visas must adhere to rules including job restrictions and abstaining from unlawful activities. According to university organizations, the cancellations, which fuelled anxiety on campuses, ran the danger of deterring international students, who last year brought $44 billion to the US economy and are an international source of talent.

Following their removal from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), more than 200 students have apparently obtained court orders temporarily prohibiting the administration from taking any further action against them.

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Trump Restores Cancelled Student Visas

For 133 foreign students, mostly from India, whose visas were suddenly cancelled by U.S. officials, their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) data has been temporarily restored by a federal judge in Georgia. Due to allegations of involvement with law enforcement events, the students filed a lawsuit after their SEVIS records were cancelled by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Department of State (DOS).

The action comes after the students were granted Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs) by the court. Even in situations where the claimed violations were minor or ambiguous, immigration lawyers contended that the revocations left students without legal status. Most of the affected students were enrolled in Optional Practical Training (OPT), a short-term work authorization program that enables foreign graduates to obtain job experience in the United States, particularly in STEM subjects. Their job and future visa possibilities are at risk if they lose their OPT status.

According to a Reuter’s story

According to a Reuter’s story, US District Judge F Dennis Saylor stated that just before a hearing on Friday, he got an email from a government attorney informing him of a shift in ICE’s stance. Immigration and Customs Enforcement now “has developed instructions to share a framework for SEVIS record terminations,” the description says. For these plaintiffs, SEVIS recordings will remain active until this new regulation is made public. Students who recovered in SEVIS included those who filed lawsuits against the government and those who did not, as well as those who were later cited by the Ministry of Justice.

The majority of the Indian students were in the US as part of Optional Practical Training (OPT), which a temporary employment authorization is given to overseas students following graduation, especially those enrolled in STEM programs. The work term, which may last up to 36 months, is often required before submitting an application for a work visa, like the H-1B. Their future in the US is at risk if they lose their OPT status.

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Hundreds of students were disciplined for infractions of a minor kind

According to the AILA study, some students had their visas revoked for comparatively trivial offenses like moving infractions or breaking university rules. After being identified in a police report as a victim of domestic abuse, one student even had their visa status revoked. Of the 327 instances, political engagement was indicated in only two.

Lawyers have denounced the government’s activities, pointing out that the revocation letters from DOS or ICE do not specify any norms or regulations. “Protests are not illegal in the US. These students could lose everything due to ambiguous claims,” the lawyer said. Although the court’s decision to restore the SEVIS data provides some respite, it is unclear how these pupils will be affected in the long run.