Indians among international students face visa cancellations in US

US: Several prominent US universities have reported sharp increase in visa cancellations among international students, particularly Indian nationals.

Once an F-1 visa is revoked, students lose their legal immigration status and may face deportation.

While some cancellations are linked to protests, many students have taken to social media to express frustration at the US government’s support for the ongoing war, now in its 18th month.

According to the Associated Press, the scrutiny has intensified to the point where even minor infractions—such as a speeding ticket—could trigger a visa review or revocation.

Universities such as Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, the University of Michigan, and Ohio State say they were blindsided by the wave of cancellations. In many reported cases, Indian students had no ties to campus demonstrations or any criminal activity. Their only known action was posting support for Gaza-related causes online.

The US Department of State has responded by launching a rigorous review of international students’ behavior, both on campus and on social media. A new artificial intelligence system, reportedly named Catch and Revoke, is being used to flag students suspected of supporting Hamas or other designated terrorist organizations.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in a public statement that more than 300 international students have already had their visas revoked.

At Harvard, the university learned of the cancellations during a routine check of student records. In an internal memo, the Harvard International Office stated it was unaware of the specific reasons behind the cancellations but acknowledged that peer institutions were experiencing similar issues at the same time.