Multiple UT international students have had their visas reactivated in a federal database maintained by the Department of Homeland Security, a University spokesperson confirmed Friday.
The changes follow an announcement by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court notifying the reinstatement of thousands of international students’ legal status from across the country, according to information reported by Politico. As of April 14, over 170 international students have experienced a visa revocation or a change in their immigration status across the UT System, including multiple students at UT.
Information on international students, scholars and exchange visitors are maintained in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. A SEVIS record assigned to an individual international student is managed by UT International Student and Scholar Services under Texas Global, which tracks students’ legal status while studying in the U.S.. A SEVIS record is distinct from a student visa, but the record itself contains the student’s visa number as well as its issuance and expiration dates.
UT reported 6,908 active SEVIS records in 2023, according to the most recent data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ISSS immediately contacts students impacted by a potential SEVIS record termination, said Sonia Feigenbaum, the senior vice provost for global engagement and chief international officer at Texas Global, during an April 21 Faculty Council meeting.
“Everything that we do is also predicated on the individual situation of the student,” Feigenbaum said. “They are going to make a personal decision based on their personal circumstance that may impact their housing, that may impact their financial situation, and all of that requires extreme coordination with every unit across campus.”
A designated school official can move to terminate a SEVIS record for reasons such as failure to maintain a full course load, expulsion, failure to enroll or unauthorized employment, according to an ICE fact sheet.
According to Politico, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is developing a new policy for students studying on an F-1 visa, which is granted to non-citizen students studying full-time in the United States. Until the policy is implemented, no students can have their SEVIS records terminated solely based on criminal history checks, including misdemeanor charges or dismissed cases. The Justice Department’s announcement comes after a series of court challenges filed against the Trump administration claiming unlawful visa revocation or status termination.
ICE conducts regular reviews of records maintained in the SEVIS database to ensure visa holders remain in compliance with the terms of the program of study, an ICE spokesperson confirmed in an email to the Texan on April 17. When a violation of visa compliance occurs, DHS may notify the State Department, which the spokesperson said is part of a longstanding protocol between departments.
