By Clare McKinley, Editor-in-Chief
Xavier affirms that the international students whose F-1 visas were revoked by the Trump administration earlier this month have been restored, falling in line with the national trend of visas being reinstated.
Donald Trump’s administration has removed international students’ visas at many universities across the U.S.
“Xavier can confirm that all students affected by the recent Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) auto-termination have been restored to active status. The University remains committed to offering a supportive environment where international students can thrive, consistent with our mission to educate students intellectually, morally and spiritually,” the university shared in a statement.
Director of International Student and Scholar Services Megan Lindle shared that the university was not notified directly about the status update, but had other ways of determining if the students’ records would be restored.
“I think we are well connected with other colleagues in the field, and also some of the immigration lawyers in the legal field as well. So there was already some communications that there were records that were being restored as of, I guess Friday morning for us,” Lindle said.
Across the nation, student visas are being restored likely as a result of individual lawsuits being filed against the Trump administration. The lawsuits have garnered support from judges who do not approve of the abrupt changes made to international students’ legal status with little to no explanation, according to the New York Times.
However, the sudden back and forth and the lack of security for students’ education in the Trump administration’s hands has led to a sense of anxiety amongst international students at Xavier.
“I am stressed because of the uncertainty,” one international student, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. “It has limited my interactions with others.”
As a result of the uncertain circumstances surrounding the removal of visas and status of citizenship, some students from other schools made the decision to leave the country on their own. These schools have been advising students to self-deport, saying that they only have five days to leave the country, according to an article by NBC News.
Xavier has confirmed that all of the international students that had fluctuating visa statuses have remained enrolled at the university and did not depart the U.S.
“We have to keep in mind we might lose years of our lives if we are deported, and that’s if we have the means and will to go through more years of college since you might have to start off as a freshman all over again,” another international student who wishes to remain anonymous said. “Also the fact that people fear for their freedom and rights in a country nicknamed ‘the land of the free’ reveals a stark contradiction,” the student continued.
When a Xavier students’ visa status has been updated, Lindle and the Center for International Education (CIE) notify the student right away.
“As soon as I knew that the records were restored, I communicated with the students to let them know that their records were back to active status. I would call them typically, but if I don’t get a hold of them by phone, I’ll email them,” Lindle said. “I think that’s a really important piece of information they need to know right away in real time. So that was first priority.”
Once students had been made aware of their visa status, they were given resources to help navigate the unexpected territory. Students were directed to talk to a trusted advisor or faculty member that they are close with, reach out to the International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) with any immigrant related questions and get connected with the Care and Support Team within the Dean of Students Office.
“We did a dinner on Friday, and we called it the All For One dinner where we invited students if they’d like to come, just join a community of support for them. We had a counselor come from our counseling services office too, to share resources,” Lindle said. “We just want to make sure they know that we’ll offer wraparound support to them, and that our community is very welcoming and happy to have our international students here.”
Although the long-term status of international students’ F-1 visas is uncertain, the restoration of the visas at Xavier, and at many universities across the nation, is a moment of hope for some that their education is safely protected by the law.
“This gives me hope that things will get better,” the anonymous student said.