Latest news with #StudentExchangeVisitorInformationSystem
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Four Missouri State international students have legal status restored
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Four Missouri State University (MSU) students who had their legal status revoked earlier this month have been granted some relief. Missouri State University has told Ozarks First that the three international students who had their F-1 visas and Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records terminated last week have since been reinstated. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Students call on MSU to stand up for international students whose visas were revoked A postgraduate student in the OPT program also had his active status reinstated, MSU says. The school has no updates on the other two post-graduate students impacted. MSU says no other international students have lost their F-1 status as of now. These reinstatements come as the Trump Administration's visa revocations for several international students in the country are being challenged in federal courts. One such case filed in Atlanta — where at least one Missouri State student is a plaintiff — led to 133 plaintiffs having their legal status restored temporarily by a judge, according to the Associated Press. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students call on MSU to stand up for international students whose visas were revoked
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – It's a move that has been happening across the country, from Ivy League universities to public institutions. Now, it's impacting students right here in Springfield. Six international students at Missouri State University had their visas revoked. Their Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) records and F-1 student statuses were terminated by the Department of Homeland Security without warning. 'I think that (MSU) should stand for their students, even if it's not in the policy,' said former student Jasmine Kaasa. MSU President Explains DEI Cuts; Students on both sides react MSU has around 1,600 international students. While that only makes up about 9% of the student body, the students Ozarks First spoke to say they support their international classmates. 'They are safe here and all the students love them, even though some administrations don't,' Kaasa said. Three of them are current students, and the other three are postgraduates. 'I would like to see the school do anything that can help students and especially the students that are affected by this,' said freshman Reya Vaughan. Kaasa says foreign exchange students shouldn't feel discouraged from trying to pursue an education in the U.S. 'Really upset,' Kaasa said. 'Because I feel like they deserve the right, more or just as much as we do here in America.' Local accountant advises filing tax extension to prevent late penalties Vaughan says these sudden visa terminations are frightening. 'That might just not be where they stop,' Vaughan said. 'And I find that very scary, especially because I am a group that might get targeted by that.' In a statement, Brad Bodenhausen, the Vice President for community and global partnerships, didn't give a reason why these specific students had their statuses terminated, but did say: 'Neither the university nor the students were notified directly of this status becoming aware of the action, MSU notified the impacted are providing academic support to these students and encouraging them to seek legal counsel.' Brad Bodenhausen, Vice President for Community and Global Partnerships at Missouri State University Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
43 visas revoked, Northwest Missouri State students told to leave US ‘immediately'
The federal government has revoked the legal status of 43 international students associated with Northwest Missouri State University, the school said in a statement Friday afternoon. Five of the people are current students and the remaining 38 are 'optional practical training students' who graduated but remained in the country for employment associated with their visas, university president Lance Tatum said. 'Please know this situation continues to evolve and Northwest's International Involvement Center is working directly with the impacted students to offer guidance,' he said. 'However, these students also are being advised that they depart the U.S. immediately to avoid accruing unlawful presence.' Mark Hornickel, a spokesman for the university, said the school began learning about the revocations last week through a combination of international students receiving notifications and university staff members checking the federal government's Student Exchange Visitor Information System. The reasons for the revocations at Northwest Missouri State were not immediately clear Friday afternoon. They come amid a wave of similar revocations for student visas across the country by President Donald Trump's administration. Inside Higher Ed reported that as of Friday, more than 150 colleges and universities have identified more than 800 international students and recent graduates who in recent weeks have had their legal status changed by the federal government. Inside Higher Ed's database includes reports of two visa changes at Park University in the Kansas City area and an unknown number associated with the University of Missouri.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
International student visas revoked at Northwest Missouri State University
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Northwest Missouri State University says that over the last week, some of their students have had their visas revoked. Northwest, which is located in Maryville, Missouri, says that 43 of their students have had their visas revoked so far. The university says that five of those visas are for current students, and the other 38 are for optional practical training students. Those students have graduated but remain in the United States for employment. The university's announcement comes just days after KC metro universities and students expressed their concern over the revocation of student visas. 'It is a situation where these students are no longer able to study in status and no longer able to work,' said Kevin Vicker, Associate Vice President of International Education at Park University. Vicker also claimed that international students with misdemeanors on their records seem to be the ones targeted at his school. For the 1.1 million international students in the U.S., their ability to stay and study is no longer guaranteed. About $1.8 billion in federal money for Cornell and Northwestern is frozen, the White House says NWMSU President Dr. Lance Tatum sent out the following release to students and staff today: 'As you may have read and seen in recent media reports, United States Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS) is terminating the legal status of some international students attending colleges and universities. During the last week, Northwest international students have been impacted by this action. USCIS is notifying students of their visa revocations, and international affairs staff continue to track student statuses in the Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). At this time, Northwest is aware of 43 students affiliated with the University whose visas have been revoked. Five of these individuals are current students, and the other 38 are optional practical training students who are graduated but remain in the U.S. for employment associated with their F1 visas. Please know this situation continues to evolve and Northwest's International Involvement Center is working directly with the impacted students to offer guidance. However, these students also are being advised that they depart the U.S. immediately to avoid accruing unlawful presence.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hundreds of students, dozens of colleges hit by Trump's visa purge: What to know
Hundreds of foreign students at dozens of colleges across the country have had their higher education experience turned upside down as the Trump administration has expanded its immigration crackdown beyond those involved in the pro-Palestinian protests. International students are seeing their visas revoked for infractions as minor as traffic violations, while colleges are having to check immigration databases to find out whether their students are still allowed to be in the country. Ivy League universities, state schools and community colleges have all been impacted as students decide whether to find legal counsel or leave the country before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) comes for them. Here is what to know: Exactly how many visas have been revoked is unknown because the State Department has declined requests to share numbers and some schools are too afraid to speak up. An Inside Higher Ed tracker has the number of colleges and universities affected by the visa revocations at more than 80, including public and private institutions in a wide range of locations and sizes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said last month that more than 300 student visas have been revoked under the Trump administration, with more coming every day. 'We don't discuss individual visas because of the privacy issues involved,' State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Tuesday. 'We don't go into statistics or numbers; we don't go into the rationale for what happens with individual visas. What we can tell you is that the department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we'll continue to do so.' The visa revocations began at big-name schools, such as Columbia University, and at least at first targeted students who were involved in pro-Palestinian protests. But it has expanded beyond that, with one University of Florida student detained by ICE after he was arrested for traffic violations. The American Council on Education, along with 16 other groups representing a broad swath of higher education institutions, wrote a letter on April 4 requesting a briefing with the State Department on these actions. 'We seek clarity amidst reports that student visas are being revoked and records are being terminated in the Student Exchange Visitor Information System without additional information being shared with the institutions those students attend,' the letter reads. 'This includes the messages being sent to international students and scholars regarding their student visas being revoked, requesting that they self-deport, with no additional information about how to appeal this decision or verification to ensure that mistakes are not being made in identifying these individuals,' it added. The way the federal government has gone about the revocation of visas is highly unusual and confusing — some argue by design. 'I think the strategy here is the same strategy that they're employing in their other enforcement actions, and that is, create fear, panic, hysteria … with the hopes that people will just leave, right? And we're seeing that happen. We're seeing students get scared and leave. They're dropping out school and they're going back home,' said Jeff Joseph, president-elect of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Trump administration is taking foreign students off of the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), a reporting system that gives information about international students to the Department of Homeland Security. After the government has removed a student from the SEVIS system, it has been sending emails to the students telling them they have to go back to their home country, skipping the normal step of telling their university. Some schools have begun checking SEVIS on a daily basis and found some of their students taken off without their knowledge. 'The UMass Amherst Office of Global Programs has been proactively monitoring the Department of Homeland Security's Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) in order to ensure students are aware of any changes in their immigration status or their right to be in the United States. Until now, the University has never needed to check SEVIS in this manner,' the University of Massachusetts Amherst said after multiple students had their visas revoked without the school's knowledge. However, someone having their information taken off SEVIS and having their visas revoked are two different things, making some students believe they need to leave the country before their visas are actually taken away. 'The SEVIS revocation does not terminate your status. It does not cause you to be out of status. It does not cause you to accrue unlawful presence. So, this whole argument that you have to leave is legally incorrect. And I think that's where we're seeing these challenges, the legal challenges,' Joseph said. Advocates say students need to be vigilant, keep in contact with their school's international office and speak with a lawyer in the middle of all this uncertainty. 'If you're a foreign student and you're feeling uneasy about your situation … you should go have a checkup with a lawyer and pay for a consultation to just see what your options are,' Joseph said, especially referring to those who have a criminal history or have engaged in political activity, even on social media. Some universities have offered legal counsel to international students who find themselves in this situation, given advice on how to find an immigration attorney and held seminars to ensure international students know their rights if they are approached by law enforcement. And there are lawsuits challenging how the Trump administration is going about its plans to kick students out of the country. 'It's not like there's clear guidance coming out from the government and especially given that the government seems to be disregarding due process, campuses need to be really mindful about what the government is telling them to do. You want to be both in compliance and support students,' said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
