New Delhi: According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), nearly 50% of the international students whose visas were revoked or whose records were removed from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) are Indians. The association collected 327 case reports from students, lawyers, and university staff. Among these international students, half were from India, 14% were from China, and the rest were primarily from South Korea, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

In the 2023-24 academic year, the majority of international students in the United States were Indian, with 3,31,602 Indian students (29%) out of a total of 11,26,690 international students, according to Open Doors data. Following India, China had 2.77 lakh students. Among them, 50% are on Optional Practical Training (OPT), which means they are working in the U.S. after completing their graduation, according to AILA. International students on an F-1 visa can work for 12 months, and students in STEM courses can extend their visas for another 24 months. AILA stated that OPT students whose records were removed from SEVIS are no longer eligible to work.

AILA has expressed concerns about the one-sided visa revocation process for international students. In the case reports collected by the association, 86% of cases involved some form of interaction with law enforcement, and 33% of the visa revocations had no charges or cases filed against the students. Students have received notices for minor offenses such as driving 70 km/h in a 65 km/h zone, illegal parking, not wearing seat belts, and expired license plates. Only two students among those whose visas were revoked had a history of participating in political protests.