Penn is monitoring students’ visa statuses twice a day through the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, as the federal government increases visa revocations at universities across the country.
On April 7, International Student and Scholar Services informed international students that the federal government had revoked visas and terminated immigration statuses for “at least three” Penn students. Penn also immediately notifies the individual if changes to a student's immigration status are identified during the SEVIS database checks, a University spokesperson told The Daily Pennsylvanian.
1968 Wharton graduate and President Donald Trump’s second administration has cracked down on international scholars across the country. At the time of publication, over 650 students, faculty, and researchers at American universities have faced similar actions — with many reporting they have not received direct notice from the federal government.
While other universities have publicly announced impacts of federal visa revocations to their communities, a Penn spokesperson declined multiple requests for comment on whether more visas had been revoked since Monday. ISSS also declined to comment.
On Thursday, Harvard University’s International Office announced that a total of 12 students and recent graduates have had their visas revoked — seven more since earlier in the week.
At the University of Michigan, an April 9 message from the school’s administration announced that 22 Michigan affiliates have had their visas terminated, an increase of 11 from last week.
According to the initial ISSS email, the visa revocations at Penn were in relation to “immigration status violations and not connected to the 2024 campus protests.”
An April 8 email from Graduate School of Education Dean Katharine Strunk identified one of the three Penn students who had their visas revoked earlier this week as an international GSE student. In the email — which was sent to the GSE community — Strunk stated that the school was “working closely alongside colleagues across the University to ensure they have access to all available support and resources.”
“I know how unsettling this is, especially for members of our international community. We will continue to keep you informed as much as we can,” Strunk wrote. “This is the first case we’ve encountered at GSE, but it may not be the last.”
On April 6, ISSS launched a “SEVIS Termination F.A.Q.” webpage to provide guidance to international students on what to do if their visa is revoked. The website states that a SEVIS revocation indicates that an individual’s “F-1 or J-1 immigration record is no longer active,” which “usually happens when a student is out of compliance with U.S. immigration rules.”
“A terminated SEVIS record means you are out of status and can’t legally study, work, or remain in the U.S.,” the website states. “Depending on the circumstances, you may begin to accumulate unlawful presence from the date of termination.”
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