F-1 visa worry: Students face action over past and minor offences

Several international students have filed lawsuits against the Trump administration in recent weeks, claiming their US visas were cancelled without fair warning or explanation. The move, they argue, denied them due process and upended their academic lives.

 

These students, enrolled at institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, University of Maryland, Ohio State University and smaller liberal arts colleges, say their legal status was suddenly revoked, with many now facing detention or deportation, according to attorneys from the ACLU of Michigan, representing meritorious students.

 

India overtook China in November 2024 to become the largest source of international students in the US. With Indian student enrolments rising by 23%, the total number has crossed 330,000—making them the group most likely to be affected by the recent changes.

 

 

Old cases come back to bite

 

Immigration attorneys say the wave of visa cancellations is largely being linked to prior legal infractions—some as minor as traffic violations or incidents that never resulted in convictions.

 

“Many of the recent F-1 visa terminations and SEVIS record cancellations have been linked to students with prior criminal charges on their records,” said Abhisha Parikh, a US-based immigration attorney, in a social media post.

 

“In several reported cases, students were found to have past offences such as DUI, theft, or domestic violence. These types of criminal charges—even if they occurred years ago or did not result in conviction—can raise red flags with the US Department of State and may lead to automatic visa revocation.”

 

Parikh said some students were unaware that past legal troubles could trigger such consequences. Many only found out when their SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records were suddenly terminated.

 

Minor offences, major consequences

 

For instance:

 

< A student at Texas lost his visa in 2025 over a 2022 stop-sign violation. He had paid the fine, completed community service, and closed the case. His university told him two weeks ago that his SEVIS record had been terminated.

< A DUI charge from 2023, which was later dismissed, led to a student’s visa being revoked on April 4, 2025.

< In Missouri, a student caught speeding by 10 mph in 2024 had his visa cancelled in April 2025.

< In Michigan, a student involved in a physical altercation contacted police. No charges were filed, but his SEVIS record was terminated on April 1.

< In New York, a student’s visa was cancelled after her friend used her ID to enter a nightclub.

< Another student lost status for driving with expired insurance and a number plate.

 

Changing rules and legal limbo

 

Until recently, the revocation of an F-1 visa—used for full-time academic study—did not necessarily mean students had to leave the country. Students were generally allowed to remain in the US and complete their education as long as they maintained status.

 

“Generally, if the visa of a student has been revoked in the US, the student is legally allowed to stay in the US and complete the education,” Sheela Murthy, president and CEO of the Murthy Law Firm told Business Standard.

 

“The visa revocation only applies to the visa that is stamped in the passport and does not apply to a person's legal status in the US. Under the law, the person's legal status remains intact and hence the F-1 student should be allowed to stay on F-1 status and continue the education in the US,” she said.

 

But recent reports suggest this may no longer be the case. Students have been told to leave the US after receiving visa cancellation notices, even when their SEVIS status had not yet been updated.

 

Colleges say many of these students had no previous warning. According to lawsuits filed against the Department of Homeland Security, students argue that they were not given justification or time to respond before their legal status was terminated.

 

ACLU lawsuit

 

Attorneys from the ACLU of Michigan, representing students at Wayne State University and the University of Michigan, alleged a systemic shift in government policy. “The timing and uniformity of these terminations leave little question that DHS has adopted a nationwide policy, whether written or not, of mass termination of student (legal) status,” the lawyers said in their filing.

 

Michelle Mittelstadt, director of public affairs at the Migration Policy Institute, said in a statement what’s happening to international students is part of a broader pattern. “What you're seeing happening with international students is really a piece of the much greater scrutiny that the Trump administration is bringing to bear on immigrants of all different categories,” she stated.

 

How student visas normally work

 

— Students apply for an F-1 visa after receiving admission from a US institution

— They must prove they have enough funds for tuition and living costs

— They are allowed limited work hours during studies

— Once in the US, their legal status is tracked by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program under the Department of Homeland Security

— Changes in academic standing are reported by colleges to Homeland Security, which updates their status in the SEVIS database

 

Colleges caught off guard

 

In the past, schools were usually informed of changes after a student dropped out or violated visa rules. Now, institutions are learning of status terminations from the federal database without any prior engagement.

 

Separately, the Trump administration froze $2.2 billion in multi-year federal grants to Harvard University on Tuesday, following the school’s refusal to comply with a list of government demands.

 

The Joint Task Force to combat antisemitism confirmed the funding freeze came hours after Harvard president Alan Garber posted a defiant statement rejecting the administration’s conditions. These included changes to governance, admissions, hiring, diversity programmes, and the influence of certain student and faculty groups.

 

“It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote. “Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”