Three University of Nebraska-Lincoln international students have had their visas revoked by the U.S. Department of State, according to an email sent to Nebraska Public Media by UNL public affairs director Leslie Reed.
The university had initially declined to say how many students were affected or which campuses they attended, but in an email sent Friday, Reed said officials decided to offer more information to, " minimize alarm among our students."
Reed said university officials do not know why the specific students were targeted and there is no commonality among their nationalities. She also said none of the students has yet left the country.
" Global Engagement and the International Students and Scholars Office continue to monitor the situation and remain in contact with students," Reed said.
University of Nebraska document of frequently asked questions about visa terminations
According to an Inside Higher Ed interactive map, more than 1,400 students from over 210 colleges and universities have had their visa revoked in the U.S.
The mass revocations began in late March and have proliferated rapidly since then. The University of Nebraska System sent an email on April 3 to international students with information about resources available to them and a fact sheet about the termination of visas and inclusion in the federal government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
The fact sheet reminds students that “a visa only needs to be valid when someone enters the U.S.” and does not determine how long one can remain in the U.S. It goes on to say that the university is not notified if a student’s visa is revoked. Instead, the State Department will contact students directly, at which point they should contact the university’s international office. While revocation does require students to cease any employment they may have, it does not immediately affect their enrollment status and they have legal recourse that could allow them to continue their studies, according to the fact sheet.
Mindy Rush Chipman, the executive director of the ACLU of Nebraska, said that affected international students should talk to an immigration attorney, but there is no guarantee that they will be able to remain in the country.
“It’s difficult to provide over-arching advice towards next steps when it’s so complex right now and there are so many unknowns,” Chipman said. “The students are often not told why their visa has been impacted.”
According to a University of Nebraska-Lincoln census, there were 1,654 international students enrolled at UNL as of Fall 2024.
