April 7, 2025
Statement on UW students having visas revoked without notice
The University of Washington has learned that, as of this posting, five current UW students plus four recent graduates participating in post-graduation training have had their visas unilaterally cancelled by the federal government without prior notice to the University or the students. We are deeply concerned about the well-being of these students and graduates and are working to support them. International students and scholars are essential and valued members of our University and they contribute immensely to our community, state and nation. The UW will continue to support them and provide the resources they need to be able to learn, teach and succeed here.
We became aware of these actions during recent checks of international student records in the federal government’s Student & Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). The SEVIS record states the visa revocations were due to an immigration status violation. No additional information or details were provided, but we have no indication these actions are due to activism or other protected free speech. We are also not aware of any immigration officials coming to UW campuses related to this situation.
In a situation like this, the relevant campus’ international student services office immediately reaches out to the affected individual to encourage them to contact the office as soon as possible so that we can connect them with information and resources. These resources include access to legal services available to students as part of their student fees, as well as mental health and academic support.
Our priority remains supporting our international students and scholars and we will continue to proactively communicate directly with them about these issues. Because the federal government is not notifying universities of status changes, we have been checking SEVIS records daily so that we can proactively contact students whose records have been changed.
We respect the privacy of the students and graduates affected by these actions and will follow their wishes on how and whether to share their names and information publicly. If a member of the UW community learns of a UW student or scholar who has been affected by a similar visa action, they are encouraged to have them contact their campus’ international student services office immediately.
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