The Trump administration has targeted hundreds of foreign students, revoking their F1-study visas and the legal status to stay in America. This is causing fear and confusion among the international students’ community regarding their studies in the US.
America has always remained the first choice for international students to pursue their careers. In 2023-2024, the overall number of overseas students at US colleges and universities reached an all-time high of more than 1.1 million (1,126,690). India sent 331,602 international students to pursue higher education in the United States in 2023-2024, reflecting a 23% increase from the prior year.
The F1-visa crackdown on international students is steadily gathering pace. The first thing that strikes is whether the US is closing doors on overseas students? And, in particular, why is Trump after foreign students? Let’s attempt to decode it.
Who are the target
The Trump administration has primarily targeted nonimmigrant students with F-1 academic-student visas and J-1 exchange-visitor visas. F-1 visas allow foreign students to study full-time at accredited schools, while J-1 visas allow scholars and researchers to participate in cultural and educational exchange programs.
How many targeted
Last month, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the revocation of at least 300 visas, targeting individuals involved in activities that contradict US national interests. But the number of students affected by the visa crackdown seems to be much higher.
The specialist publication Inside Higher Education reports that as of 18 April, over 240 colleges and universities have identified 1,550-plus international students and recent graduates whose legal status has been changed by the State Department.
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) reported that ICE has terminated 4,736 SEVIS records since January 20, 2025, the majority on F-1 status.
The Double Blow
The US is not just revoking study visas but also terminating their legal status to remain within America. The State Department revokes a student’s visa, and in some cases, the Department of Homeland Security terminates their record in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, revokes their legal status, which may lead to deportation.
Why are student visas cancelled?
Going by the chain of events, the real reason why the Trump administration is cancelling student visas and making them leave America is not entirely clear.
The Trump administration initially cancelled visas for hundreds of pro-Palestine protest students, and later sought to arrest and deport them, citing a 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act provision.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had initially said, “If you apply for a student visa to come to the United States and you say you’re coming not just to study, but to participate in movements that vandalize universities, harass students, take over buildings, and cause chaos, we’re not giving you that visa.”
Trump administration officials have stated that they are using the Immigration and Nationality Act, which empowers the State Department to deport non-citizens who are “adversarial to the foreign policy and national security interests” of the United States.
The recent wave of visa terminations, even for minor offences of students in the past, has perplexed the students and their parents as well. Whether students had been charged with drunken driving, traffic violations, or petty fights in the past, they are being asked to leave America. Even social media accounts are used as an excuse for the revocation of visas.