Seven international students at Virginia Tech recently had their visas canceled as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The legal status of two alumni was also revoked, which generally means a visa holder must leave the United States immediately, university President Tim Sands wrote Thursday in a letter to students, staff and other members of the Tech community.
“We do not know why the terminations occurred and are seeking additional information from the State Department and Department of Homeland Security,” Sands wrote.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands reported in a letter to the university community issued Thursday that seven international students have had their visas canceled.
The actions impacted three undergraduate students and four graduate students. Tech officials said they were not aware of any faculty or staff being affected. The numbers provided were though 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Tech spokesman Mark Owczarski declined to provide the names or nationality of those affected, citing student confidentiality protections.
People are also reading…
Meanwhile, several other Virginia universities are reporting that they too have students from other countries who are being told to leave their campuses.
At a community conversation last week, Sands spoke about how much Tech values the international members of its community.
“Representing more than 130 countries, their talent, global perspectives, and diverse ideas are an important part of our teaching and research mission,” he wrote in his letter Thursday. “Their cultures, traditions, and histories enrich all of our lives and they are true Hokies.”
As part of its tough immigration stance, the Trump administration has targeted students who have been involved in pro-Palestinian activism or speech. Numerous demonstrations in support of the Palestinian cause have taken place on the Tech campus since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023.
Owczarski said he did not know if any of the protestors were among those who had their visas canceled. It was not clear if any of them remained on campus or at their homes Thursday.
Asked if anyone who lost their legal status had been contacted or taken into custody by immigration officials, Owczarski wrote in an email: “Not that I am aware of.”
An email from The 166su Times seeking an explanation for the visa cancellations from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was not immediately returned.
A spokesman for Radford University said none of its students or employees have been affected.
At Virginia Commonwealth University, the visas of two international students and a recent graduate were revoked. A VCU spokesman said privacy laws prevent the sharing of additional details.
And at George Mason University in Fairfax County, the student visas of 10 of its international students were canceled, spokesman John Hollis said. Hollis said the students came from five countries.
The news comes days after the University of Virginia joined the growing list of U.S. colleges where the federal government under the Trump administration has canceled some international students’ visas. One students lost their visa from UVa, the university confirmed.
The reasons for the visa revocations at the Virginia schools are unclear.
At some universities the Trump administration has targeted some high-profile students who were involved in pro-Palestinian causes. That includes Mahmoud Khalil, a detained student activist who led protests at Columbia University.
Many schools have learned of the terminations by checking the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which is managed by the Department of Homeland Security.
Tech’s Cranwell International Center is monitoring the issue, serving as a communication hub for updates on policy changes and offering walk-in advising sessions for individuals.
Although no changes have been made to regulations that govern how student visa holders can leave and reenter the United States, the center is advising them to consider whether their travel plans are essential.
Tammy Bruce, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, said in a briefing Tuesday that the department would not disclose the names or numbers of students whose visas were revoked.
“We’ve never gone into the details of the visa process,” she said. “We don’t discuss individual visas because of the privacy issues involved. We don’t go into statistics or numbers; we don’t go into the rationale for what happens with individual visas. What we can tell you is that the department revokes visas every day in order to secure our borders and to keep our community safe, and we’ll continue to do so.”
She added: “The number of revocations I can say is dynamic, which is why we don’t give those numbers out.”
Students from other countries must meet a series of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually an F-1. After gaining admission to a school in the U.S., students go through an application and interview process at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad.
Those on an F-1 visa must show they have enough financial support for their course of study in the U.S. They have to remain in good standing with their academic program and are generally limited in their ability to work off-campus during their academic program.
Entry visas are managed by the State Department. Once they’re in the U.S., international students’ legal status is overseen by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
At Tech, an online information session about current immigration issues will be held from 9 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. April 18. Additional information will be provided by Virginia Tech News.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, The (Lynchburg) News & Advance and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
