Harvard, visas and the White House: How Trump administration’s move will affect international students

 ‘Unprecedented’ move targets Harvard

Typically, universities are removed from SEVIS for failing to meet accreditation requirements or ceasing operations — not for political or ideological reasons. But in this case, DHS is accusing Harvard of fostering a “hostile” and “unsafe” campus environment for Jewish students and promoting pro-Hamas and anti-American rhetoric through its protest culture and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

In a letter sent Thursday, Noem demanded that Harvard provide a broad set of student records — including disciplinary data and surveillance footage of protests — as a condition for reinstating its SEVIS access. Harvard, which previously refused to comply with similar demands, now has 72 hours to respond or risk permanent exclusion from the federal program.

What happens to the students?

For the 6,800 international students currently enrolled at Harvard, the situation is precarious and deeply uncertain. In 2022, Chinese nationals were the biggest group of foreign students at 1,016, university figures showed, followed by students from Canada, India, South Korea, Britain, Germany, Australia, Singapore and Japan.

Those who have completed their degrees this term will be allowed to graduate. But for the vast majority still enrolled in degree programs, the government has issued an ultimatum: transfer to another SEVP-certified institution or lose legal status in the US.

However, transferring universities at this point in the academic calendar — and at Harvard’s level — is a logistical and academic nightmare. Students must scramble to find schools willing to accept them, secure new I-20 forms (the documents needed for visa status), and update their information in SEVIS — which, crucially, Harvard can no longer access.

The spring semester at Harvard ends on May 26. Ordinarily, students in good standing would be allowed to remain in the US over the summer break if they’re returning in the fall. But with SEVIS access revoked, the status of even returning students is unclear. Without action — by transferring or securing another legal immigration status — many students could become deportable almost immediately.

Can Harvard’s international students still use their visas?

While DHS has not revoked student visas themselves, the SEVIS suspension effectively renders those visas unusable. Harvard is no longer able to confirm that students are enrolled full time which is a legal requirement for maintaining visa eligibility. In effect, the visa holders are now students without a sponsor, stripped of the institutional backing that US immigration law requires.

Students could theoretically leave the US and return to enroll elsewhere. But with admissions deadlines passed at many institutions and widespread confusion over their status, even that option remains uncertain.

A political fight decades in the making

The Trump administration’s crackdown on Harvard follows months of escalating tensions between the government and universities, particularly over campus protests related to the war in Gaza. Harvard was among the first major institutions to resist federal demands to limit such protests and dismantle DEI programs — policies long in the administration’s crosshairs.

In retaliation, the federal government froze over $2.7 billion in grants to Harvard, and Trump has publicly called for revoking the university’s tax-exempt status. Last month, Harvard filed a lawsuit to challenge the grant freeze, arguing that the administration was using federal funds as a tool to assert political control over university governance and academic freedom.

What now?

As of Friday morning, Harvard had not indicated whether it would comply with DHS’s demands. In a statement, university officials called the order “unlawful” and said they were working to support affected students.

What happens next may depend on whether a court intervenes — and whether the administration, amid mounting legal pressure, reconsiders the scale and consequences of its actions.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters, New York Times)