April 26 (UPI) — International students who recently lost access to a federal database to check the status of their student visas can view their respective records once again.
The Department of Homeland Services recently blocked access to its Student and Exchange Visitor Program website, which caused many student visa-holders to worry about their ability to continue their studies and remain in the United States.
A DHS spokesperson affirmed international students with active student visas can access their records, but not those who have had their visas revoked.
“We have not reversed course on a single visa revocation,” a DHS spokesperson told ABC News. “What we did is restore SEVIS access for people who had not had their visa revoked.”
A federal attorney said Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials are developing a policy that “will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations.”
“Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain active or shall be reactivated if not currently active, and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVISrecord termination,” U.S. Attorney Mark Sauter said in an email read in federalcourt on Friday, Politico reported.
“ICE maintains the authority to terminate a SEVIS record for other reasons, such as if the plaintiff fails to maintain his or her non-immigrant status after the record is reactivated or engages in other unlawful activity that would render him or her removable from the United States under the Immigration and Nationality Act,” Sauter said.
The reinstatement only applies to international students who have not had their student visas revoked.
The unexpected loss of access to SEVIS records for some 1,500 international students led many to worry they had lost their student visas and would have to leave the country.
