50% Indian students among revoked F-1 visa cases; Congress asks if MEA will take it up with the US

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh on Friday expressed concern over a report which claimed that out of the 327 visa revocations cases of international students collected so far, 50% are Indians. Ramesh asked whether External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will take up the issue with his US counterpart.

While sharing a press statement, issued by the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILS) on Thursday, Ramesh said it is “cause for concern to us in India”.

"A press statement issued yesterday by the American Immigration Lawyers Association is cause for concern to us in India.

Out of the 327 visa revocation cases of international students collected by the organisation so far, 50% are Indians. The reasons for revocation are random and unclear. There is growing fear and apprehension.

Will the External Affairs Minister take note and raise the concern with his US counterpart @DrSJaishankar?," Ramesh asked, while tagging Jaishankar.

What the AILS statement said

"The Department of State (DOS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are aggressively targeting international students, including those without a history of protest, for visa revocation, termination of their status, and removal," the American Immigration Lawyers Association statement said.

AILA collected 327 reports of visa revocations and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) terminations from attorneys, students, and university employees, it said.

"Of these reports - 50 percent of these students were from India, followed by 14 percent from China. Other significant countries represented in this data include South Korea, Nepal, and Bangladesh," the statement said.

"Based on these reports, it is clear that transparency, oversight, and accountability are needed to prevent further arbitrary visa revocations and SEVIS record terminations. Finally, there should be a way for students to appeal SEVIS terminations that are inaccurate without facing a gap in their employment or requiring the university to be involved, given the sheer numbers of those impacted," it said.

Why is US asking students to self-deport

International students in the United States are being asked to self-deport, in a communication from the country's Department of State (DOS) owing to their campus activism.

The crackdown is based on social media reviews being conducted by the US DOS. Even new student applications, be it for an F (academic study visa), M (vocational study visa) or J (exchange visa) will come under such social media scrutiny. Applicants will be denied the opportunity to study in the United States.

Indian students in the US

Since January, America has deported a total of 682 Indians. While a majority of them entered the country illegally, the US government has reportedly revoked a number of student visas, some of them for staging a protest on the campus against Israel.

Reportedly, dozens of Indian students in the US have been ordered to self-deport after their F-1 student visas were revoked due to minor criminal offences.

The Designate School Officials (DSOs) at various schools have informed these students about their abrupt revocation via email, saying that their records in the SEVIS have been terminated. This means that their Form I-20, Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and their legal presence in the US is now invalid.

The offences range from traffic violations like speeding and driving without a licensed supervisor on a learner’s permit, and failing to stop at red light, to more serious but resolved cases of shoplifting and alcohol-related charges.

(With inputs from PTI)