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Following hundreds of challenges in federal court by students, universities and colleges, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reversed course on terminating the legal status of thousands of international students and is now restoring status for those students who were affected by the mass terminations just a week earlier. Students should receive notification of restoration of SEVIS records and can also reach out to their school’s Designated School Official for clarity on their record.
Importantly, the restoration of status does not cure the revocation of the visa. As detailed in our previous alert, visa and status are different, and someone can be in the U.S. without a valid visa but have valid status. Anyone who has had their visa revoked will have to undertake the process of applying for a new visa at a US Embassy abroad when they depart the U.S.
Finally, ICE is developing a new policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations, potentially addressing the reasons for the initial terminations. Thus, the reinstatements for student status may not be permanent once ICE’s new policy is published.
MVA is continuing to monitor these developments closely and will continue to provide updates as they become available.
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