Washington: Among a slew of unpopular moves being effected by the Donald Trump administration is revocation of foreign students’ visas.
Around 1,500 students have had their visas cancelled by US immigration officials since Trump took oath as US President for his second term on January 20.
In a stunning revelation, the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) said around 50 per cent of international students in the USA who have recently had their visas revoked or Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records terminated were from India.
Chinese students comprise 14 per cent of visa revocations, and “other significant countries represented in this data include South Korea, Nepal and Bangladesh,” said AILA, which collected 327 reports on these instances from students, attorneys and university employees.
As per data from Open Doors, Indians constituted the largest international student population in the US in 2023-24. Of the 11,26,690 international students in 2023-24, as high as 29 per cent — 3,31,602 to be precise — were from India.
The number of Chinese students was 2.77 lakh.
AILA’s policy brief also said that 50 per cent of the international students were on Optional Practical Training (OPT) – that is, completed graduation and currently employed in America.
OPT allows international students, who are in the US on an F1 visa, to work for up to 12 months, with the chance of 24-month extension in the case of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields.
Of the 3.32 lakh Indian students in the US in 2023-24, around 29 per cent — 97,556 to be precise — were on OPT.
AILA pointed out that these reports “paint a concerning picture of the arbitrary nature of these visa revocations and terminations.”
Around 85 per cent of the reports AILA collected revealed some level of interaction with the police, 33 per cent had their case dismissed, were never charged, or were never prosecuted.
Interactions with police included students who “encountered the police for infractions most US citizens would consider a daily occurrence” – like students issued speeding tickets for going 70 mph in a 65 mph zone, or 80 mph in a 70 mph zone; a student on OPT who had tickets for illegal parking, not wearing a seatbelt, and expired plates; a nursing student who was arrested for evading a vehicle when the police tried to pull them over.
Only two students “reported any history of engaging in political protests,” AILA stated.
