All 27 UTA students who had their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System records terminated have had them reinstated after a federal reversal, university spokesperson Joe Carpenter confirmed Tuesday in an email.
The changes come following an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday, which notified the reinstatement of thousands of international students whose visa registrations were revoked due to minor, and often dismissed, legal infractions, according to Politico.
The revocations were scrutinized by courts, with many judges deeming the mass terminations of students from a federal database as flagrantly illegal.
As of April 11, 176 students across the UT System had their visas revoked by the federal government, according to the Austin American-Statesman. Nationwide, The New York Times analyzed that more than 1,500 visas at 222 schools were canceled.
The terminations caused concern for many international students who feared they might lose their legal immigration status and could be quickly deported. An immigration lawyer told The Shorthorn that many people in these cases tend to self-deport voluntarily without contacting an immigration attorney.
“This remains a very fluid situation, and the UTA Office of International Education continues to work directly with all affected students to keep them updated on their individual statuses and to assist in supporting their individual needs,” Carpenter said.
Multiple Texas universities have confirmed that their students’ visas have been restored, including UT Austin, University of North Texas and Texas A&M University.
Information on international students, scholars and exchange visitors is maintained in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record. The record is distinct from a student visa, but it does contain the student’s visa number, its issuance and expiration dates.
The U.S. Department of State can revoke a student’s visa if they fail to maintain its terms, which include an insufficient course load or working without authorization, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In recent attempts to strip student visas, President Donald Trump’s administration did not provide specific reasons for most cases. When UTA confirmed the 27 students impacted by the efforts to terminate visas, President Jennifer Cowley said the university did not have specifics behind the decisions to revoke visas.
During an April 16 campus event, Cowley said students were allowed to continue enrollment even if their status was revoked.
The Department of Justice said that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement is working on a new policy regarding students studying in the U.S. on F-1 visas granted to noncitizens studying full-time in the country, according to Politico.
The policy will provide a “framework for SEVIS record terminations.”
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