BOSTON — Harvard University and UMass Amherst have confirmed that several international students and recent graduates have had their visas and legal immigration statuses revoked in recent days, actions that university officials say were taken unilaterally by federal authorities.
According to the Harvard International Office (HIO), three students and two recent graduates at the university were notified that their student visas had been revoked during a routine records review. The university referred the affected individuals to legal support resources and emphasized its continued commitment to protecting the rights and privacy of its international community.
“We are not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe, ” Harvard said in its April 6 update.
UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes issued a similar statement, clarifying that the university had no involvement in the federal government’s decision to revoke student visas and terminate immigration statuses. The university said it was not notified in advance and only became aware of the changes after learning that institutions across the country were experiencing similar revocations. In response, the UMass Amherst Office of Global Programs began proactively monitoring the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
“To be crystal clear, UMass Amherst did not play any role in the federal administration’s unilateral action in terminating the status of our UMass Amherst students,” the university wrote. “In each of the cases in which the federal government revoked the visas and terminated the non-immigrant statuses of UMass Amherst students, UMass Amherst was not asked for information in advance by the federal government, did not provide information concerning the revocations to the federal government, and was not notified by the federal government of these status terminations.”
Reyes noted that this marks the first time the university has had to check SEVIS in this manner and stated that no evidence connects these actions to Department of Education complaint processes or student activism.
UMass Amherst also criticized what it called “incorrect reporting” by an unnamed online publication that insinuated a connection between the visa revocations and a federal civil rights complaint process. The university explained that such complaints are typically filed when an individual believes they have been subjected to discriminatory treatment—either as the subject of discipline or because they think someone else should have been disciplined for actions taken against them.
UMass stated it has no evidence that any information it was required to provide during these complaint processes had any relationship to the federal government’s visa revocations. “Recent reporting by an online publication insinuating any other circumstance is, put simply, not correct and irresponsible,” the university wrote. It added that there is “no known connection” between the revocations and any Department of Education complaint or student activism.
Harvard, meanwhile, has scheduled additional “Know Your Rights” sessions and referred affected students and graduates to legal resources.
UMass Amherst also criticized what it called “incorrect reporting” by an unnamed online publication that insinuated a connection between the visa revocations and a federal civil rights complaint process. The university explained that such complaints—handled by the U.S. Department of Education—typically involve individuals alleging discriminatory treatment, either in the form of discipline or the lack thereof toward others. In these cases, the university may be legally required to provide information as part of the investigation.
“Recent reporting by an online publication insinuating any other circumstance is, put simply, not correct and irresponsible,” UMass Amherst wrote. It added that the university has no evidence that any information it provided in response to a Department of Education complaint was linked to the visa revocations and stressed that it has and will continue to comply with federal law in such matters.
The university further stated that there is “no known connection” between the federal government’s visa actions and either the complaint process or student activism.
Harvard, meanwhile, has scheduled additional “Know Your Rights” sessions and referred affected students and graduates to legal resources.
