Thousands of international students whose U.S. visas were recently revoked will have their legal status restored following a sudden policy reversal by the Trump administration.
The Trump administration announced on Friday that it will restore the visa records of potentially thousands of international students whose legal status in the United States had been abruptly revoked in recent months. The decision came during a federal court hearing in Boston, where the government's policy was being challenged.
The reversal affects students whose records had been terminated from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a federal database managed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that tracks compliance among approximately 1.1 million foreign student visa holders. The removal of these records placed students at risk of deportation, sparking lawsuits and widespread concern within the academic community.
Since President Donald Trump assumed office on January 20, more than 4,700 student visa holders had their SEVIS records deleted, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The reasons behind the terminations were not always clear, but many students claimed they were unaware of violations and had no chance to respond before losing legal status.
SEVIS requires students to maintain compliance with visa terms, which include full-time academic enrolment, limited employment, and lawful conduct. Any deviation can result in automatic record termination.
The sudden change in stance was disclosed in an email from a government lawyer shortly before a hearing in the case of Carrie Zheng, a student at Boston University whose visa status was among those challenged. U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor read the email aloud in court, revealing that ICE was now working on a formal policy to govern SEVIS terminations and that all affected student records, including Zheng’s, would remain active or be restored pending new guidelines.
The policy shift provides temporary relief for international students who had faced legal uncertainty. However, it remains unclear how long the restoration will last or what the forthcoming ICE policy will entail.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 4 July, covering the latest developments you need to know....
Armenia's parliament has passed a new law raising the requirements for citizens living abroad to vote in national elections, following concerns over a...
Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said, as Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy i...
Egypt secured their first World Cup knockout-stage victory by beating Australia 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in Arlington, Texas....
Defending champions Argentina needed an extra-time own goal to beat Cape Verde 3-2 on Friday and reach the World Cup last 16, while Colombia advanced ...
The United States will impose and enforce sanctions "to the maximum extent" to deprive Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of resources as Russia warned other Latin American countries could be next, the U.S. told the United Nations on Tuesday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed it will fund full SNAP food benefits for more than 42 million Americans, following federal court orders. The decision follows weeks of legal disputes as the government shutdown entered its 38th day.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday it is ending the deployment of about 2,000 National Guard troops in Los Angeles, according to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
The Trump administration on Tuesday announced a landmark plan to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 2025 hurricane season. The move signals a fundamental shift in the nation's approach to disaster recovery, placing the primary responsibility on state governments.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Eight Buddhist monks were killed and more than 20 others injured after an 11-year-old boy driving his parents' pickup truck ploughed into a religious procession in north-eastern Thailand, police said.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 4 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said, as Ukrainian strikes on Russian energy infrastructure continued to add pressure to fuel supplies inside Russia.
World Athletics has reaffirmed its decision to keep Russian and Belarusian athletes excluded from international competition, saying there has been no meaningful progress towards peace in Ukraine.
Peru’s electoral authority has declared right-wing candidate Keiko Fujimori the winner of the country’s presidential election, weeks after a closely contested run-off vote against left-wing rival Roberto Sanchez.
Singapore has reported a data exposure affecting 70,000 people after unauthorised access to a dataset in an IBM-managed cloud environment, according to the Singapore Land Authority (SLA). The authority said operational systems and property records remain secure.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment