The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in the US, announced that a number of international students, so far in 2025, have had their visas revoked by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The university learned of the visa terminations after conducting checks in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database, a system used to track student and exchange visitor information.
According to UMass Chancellor Javier Reyes, the school received no prior notification about the visa changes.
Reyes, according to reports, stated that the university wasn’t notified of the changes to the students’ visas, “and only became aware as a result of proactive checks in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s SEVIS database.”
UMass faces visa revocations without warning
This recent development, as stated, follows a pattern seen at other universities across the U.S. Earlier this week, the president of Minnesota State University in Mankato also reported five international students whose visas were revoked.
The school learned of the changes after reviewing a database of international student statuses in the wake of an incident involving a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota.
UMass Amherst, the largest public university in Massachusetts, has not specified the reasons for the visa revocations, nor have they released the names of the affected students.
Other U.S. colleges report similar visa issues
Details cite that reports from other institutions across the country have reported similar incidents of visa revocations.
- Arizona State University, Cornell, North Carolina State University, the University of Oregon, the University of Texas, and the University of Colorado have all stated that some of their international students’ visas were revoked without prior notice from the federal government.
U.S. government’s stance on visa revocations
U.S. officials have indicated that some of the international students targeted for visa revocations may be linked to protests or other activities deemed of concern.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that students involved in protests or activities related to “potential criminal activity” were under scrutiny.
- Recent arrests, such as that of Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil and Iranian doctoral student Alireza Doroudi, are said to have drawn attention to the issue.
According to Fox, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security cited national security concerns in Doroudi’s case, who had his visa revoked in 2023 before being arrested in March. Similarly, the arrest of Turkish Ph.D. student Rumeysa Ozturk earlier this year has raised questions about the government’s approach to students involved in anti-Israel protests.
UMass response and continuing monitoring
Details inform that UMass Amherst has said it will continue to monitor the SEVIS database for any further updates. Chancellor Reyes, in his letter, expressed regret over the timing of the announcement, stating that he wanted to inform the community as soon as the news became available.
