US Revokes Student Visas Over Minor Offences, Indian Students Among Those Affected

WASHINGTON:
In a development that has sparked widespread concern, the US authorities are reportedly revoking student visas over minor offences like traffic violations and accidental shoplifting, with several Indian students among those affected. The new enforcement trend comes on the heels of recent deportations linked to campus activism in support of Palestine.

Students with revoked F-1 visas are being instructed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to leave the US immediately a deviation from earlier norms where students were allowed to complete their studies before facing immigration consequences.

Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, told the Associated Press that many of the students ordered to leave had no link to any political activism and were penalized for minor infractions or misdemeanors.

Dozens of Indian students have received alarming emails from their Designated School Officials (DSOs), stating their student visas are invalid and advising immediate departure. Immigration lawyers claim this level of enforcement is unprecedented.

“Revoking SEVIS for offences like lane changing, over-speeding, or first-time DUI is extremely rare,” said Chand Paravathneni, an immigration lawyer based in Texas, who is currently handling about 30 such cases.

One Indian student in Nebraska said he was flagged for a speeding ticket issued two years ago in New York — a fine he paid and an offence he resolved. “I was never arrested, and yet I’ve now been asked to leave,” he said.

Another student from Hyderabad, studying in Missouri, said he was arrested for drunk driving and complied with court orders, including installing an ignition lock on his vehicle and submitting regular tests — all of which have been clean. Despite this, he was stunned to receive a deportation email during his final year of master’s studies.

In a separate case, a student in Austin, Texas, said he mistakenly failed to scan items worth $144 at a Walmart in July 2023 and was arrested for shoplifting. However, the case was dismissed within a month based on good academic record. “I followed all procedures. Why am I still being punished?” he questioned.

Immigration lawyers and university officials have expressed alarm over the severity of the action. They fear such steps may deter international students from choosing the US as an educational destination, with many viewing the move as both disproportionate and deeply unsettling.