By Funmilayo Akinyemi
The government of the United States of America has revoked the visaof 40 international students in the country, a decision that shocked many students and left them scared and unsure about what will happen next.
According to experts and advocates, the US government might have made this decision based on issues like traffic Offences, with people believing this is part of a bigger plan by Donald Trump’s administration to control immigration and how universities handle it.
One of the students affected from the University of Wisconsin, Madison Lisa, said she was just a month away from graduation when she got an unexpected email.
“ISS is writing to inform you that your SEVIS record was terminated,” the email said.
SEVIS stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which is managed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
At first, Lisa thought the email was fake. But after checking online and reading student forums, she found out she was now “out of status,” just like many other international students.
The reason? A minor traffic issue from the year before. She got two tickets and was finger-printed when she went to court.
When a student’s SEVIS record is terminated, they usually have only 15 days to leave the U.S. If they stay longer, they risk being deported or banned from coming back.
The Guardian UK reports that other students in schools like Stanford, UCLA, UC San Diego, Ohio State, and the University of Oregon are also affected.
Many of them have similar stories. They got small traffic tickets, went to court, were fingerprinted, and had no idea their visa status would be affected.
Students made a spreadsheet online and shared stories from over 50 universities.
Even though many students did not commit any crimes—some charges were even dropped—they were still labeled as having “criminal records” in their SEVIS termination letters.
Most of the terminations happened on April 4, shortly after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made a public statement on March 27.
