‘I’ve never felt more stuck in my life’: 4 months on, Indian students remain in US visa limbo despite SEVIS reinstatement

Many of those whose F-1 visas were revoked are still stuck in India, four months after they left the US in a hurry. Several abandoned apartments full of furniture, unpaid bills, and half-finished degrees. Now, they grapple with the uncertainty of whether they’ll be allowed back at all.

For thousands of Indian students, SEVIS records were quietly restored just days after termination in April. But visas remain cancelled. Those still in the US have challenged the revocations in court. Others fled in fear — and now cannot return.

He is back in Hyderabad, in his childhood bedroom, wedding on hold.

“I should’ve stayed. I regret it now,” he said. “I’ve been picked in the H-1B lottery, but it hasn’t been finalized yet. I am waiting for a final confirmation but looking at the situation around I am not really sure what’s going to happen. My college is apologizing, but no one can tell me if I’ll get a new visa. They say to try reapplying, but we’re all too scared.”

Asked about a backup plan, he replied: “I don’t have one. I’m completely blank. All I do is eat, sleep and just keep staring at the ceiling most of the day hoping things will get back into place the way they were 4 months ago.”

Across India, hundreds of students like him are in the same limbo. Their SEVIS records have been reinstated. But their US visas remain revoked.

And while the technicalities of the immigration system continue to play out — Homeland Security manages SEVIS, the State Department handles visas — students are left searching for a Plan B.

For some, that means applying to companies in India, trying to leverage their U.S. degrees in a tight job market. For others, it means attempting a new visa application, despite fears of rejection. But many are simply waiting.

According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), Indian students make up about 50% of the 327 international students whose F-1 visas were revoked in recent months. Indians also form the largest cohort of international students in the US, with 3.31 lakh enrolled in 2023–24 — nearly 29% of the total, according to Open Doors data.

A 25-year-old from Telangana who was pursuing a Master’s degree in Texas came back to India on April 19, after his SEVIS was terminated following a misunderstanding with a roommate that led to a police complaint. The case was never filed, but fear — amplified by immigration influencers and rumors of deportation — pushed him to leave.

“Then my SEVIS came back. I saw it on the portal,” he said. “But my visa is still revoked. I was doing my internship in a consultancy firm and was hopeful of getting a job there but my contract had to be terminated. I’m trying to stay hopeful, but I’m not sure what’s left.”

“I am hearing that none of the F1 visa applications are being approved currently so I am scared of getting rejected…. I don’t even have the energy to explain this mess to my family.”

A 26-year-old graduate of Cleveland State University who was working on OPT left the U.S. in April after her visa was revoked due to a shoplifting case from 2022 that had already been dismissed. Her SEVIS was reinstated by late April.

“In the beginning my parents thought I came back for a short visit, as I did not want to panic them, but now it’s been 4 months and they are worried too. My family took a loan for my education in the U.S and the only way in which I could pay that off was by getting a job there. For now, nothing is clear, I don’t even know what steps to take next,” she said.

Some students didn’t even plan to leave; they were already in India when the revocations hit. A 25-year-old from North Carolina had flown home on a personal visit in April when he got the news: SEVIS terminated due to an old, resolved misdemeanor.

“I didn’t even get a chance to respond. I was already here. My DSO says I need to reapply for a visa, but I’m scared. If they reject me, I can’t even finish my OPT,” he said.

“In the worst case scenario, I will continue to help my family with their business but my heart is not in it. I have applied for a fresh F1 Visa but have not gotten an appointment date yet. I am waiting to see how that’ll pan out.”

When asked about the number of students who came back to India since January, a U.S. State Department official said: “Visas and the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) are separate parts of the process for international students and exchange visitors… The Department regularly revokes visas to secure America’s borders and keep our communities safe, and individuals whose visas are revoked may reapply at any U.S. consulate or embassy at any time.”

The reinstatements began in late April. Houston-based immigration lawyer Rahul Reddy, who is in touch with over 200 affected students, earlier told The Indian Express that they’re the result of growing legal pressure, “not a change in U.S. government attitude.”

“The issue now is that students whose visas were revoked and who left the US cannot return using the same visa. They must apply for a fresh visa stamp to re-enter. What made this situation worse was the threatening language in the visa revocation notices — unlike in the past, this time the consulates explicitly stated they were notifying DHS and ICE and even gave a link for students to ‘self-report.’ This scared many students into leaving the US,” Reddy said.

Some are writing emails to DSOs. Others are trying to get embassy appointment dates. A few are preparing to reapply for a fresh visa, despite no clear assurances. Many are quietly working on backup plans in India, hoping to transfer the value of their U.S. degrees into a new context.

But for others, Plan B doesn’t exist yet.

“My whole plan was to stay in the U.S., build a career, get married, settle down,” said the Monroe College graduate. “Now I’m 27, jobless, and explaining visa law to my relatives at family functions. What do I even say?”

“I’ve never felt more stuck in my life,” he said.