- Tuesday, May 20, 2025
As ICE reverses visa terminations, many international students are still stranded, jobless, and uncertain of their future in the U.S.—facing lost opportunities, revoked visas, and long waits to rebuild their lives.
By: Vibhuti Pathak
A recent move by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reinstate thousands of international student records may come too late for many, whose lives were upended after abrupt visa terminations.
One such student, a researcher from South Asia working in Houston, lost his laboratory job and fled the U.S. in fear of detention after his legal status was revoked without warning.
Though the Trump administration reversed the decision, he remains unable to return as his American visa was canceled—leaving him “stranded.”
In recent months, more than 4,700 international students faced sudden cancellations of their study permissions. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security admitted during court proceedings that it cross-referenced student visa holders against an FBI database including names of those arrested or suspected of crimes—regardless of whether they were charged or convicted. While the government now claims that it’s sending letters to restore legal status, the damage for many has already been done.
Many of the affected students report mental distress and financial instability. The Houston-based student, who had been legally living and working in the U.S. for nearly a decade under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, says he now faces at least a year-long wait for a new visa interview. With mounting U.S. debts and no job, returning is not financially viable. “Revoking a visa or SEVIS status doesn’t just affect education—it destroys entire lives,” he said.
The SEVIS system—the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System—is used by ICE to monitor compliance of international students. Immigration attorneys argue that ICE’s expanded interpretation of deportable offenses makes legal status increasingly fragile. “Students who had no legal representation or understanding of their rights suffered the most,” said immigration lawyer Ben Loveman. “Now they face enormous hurdles for reinstatement.”
A Nepali programmer in Texas who lost his legal status due to a four-year-old DUI charge—despite having fulfilled all legal obligations—said the experience has made him consider leaving the U.S. for good. “I followed everything. But if they’re going to take it all away, at least give me due process,” he said. Though his record has now been restored, the fear remains. “If I get a chance in Canada or New Zealand, I’ll leave.”
Some students, like a Bangladeshi Ph.D. candidate at Iowa State University, nearly gave up altogether. His student status was revoked over a pending marijuana possession charge, though he had not been convicted.
The experience pushed him to a “mental breaking point,” during which he stopped leaving his apartment and booked a flight home. After reinstatement, he resumed his role as a teaching assistant but struggled to recover from the emotional toll. “This degree is not worth the risk of going through this again,” he said, planning to leave the U.S. by year’s end.
Despite ICE’s attempt to retroactively fix the situation, critics argue that without restoring revoked visas or guaranteeing protection from future terminations, these letters do little to alleviate students’ concerns. In court, lawyers for affected students have called for a nationwide injunction to prevent further arbitrary cancellations. Government attorneys, however, claim that current remedial steps are sufficient.
As many students question the safety and reliability of pursuing education in the U.S., advocates stress the long-term impact of such policy missteps. These students—once viewed as global talent contributing to academia and innovation—now see America as a place of legal uncertainty and emotional hardship.
With no systemic guarantee against sudden deportations and a complicated visa reapplication process, the future of many international students remains hanging in the balance.
