The U.S. government has reversed its cancellation of legal status for most of the international students it recently targeted for visa revocations nationwide, including five of the six collegiates at Cal State Long Beach.
University officials confirmed Monday that five students’ visas were reinstated at some point last week, something they discovered during a routine check of Student and Exchange Visitor Information Systems (SEVIS), a database that tracks international students’ visa status.
Four of the students are currently enrolled, while two others are participating in the university’s Optional Practical Training program, which is used to employ post-graduates in their field of study after completing their degree, according to the university.
The CSU Chancellor’s Office declined to comment on the reinstatement.
One university spokesperson said Monday they were “obviously very happy to learn” student visas have been reinstated, saying they learned of the change last week.
The university did not provide any details about the sole CSULB student who did not have their visa reinstated, stating they will allow them to complete their remaining coursework online.
The CSULB students were among more than 1,800 international students at 280 colleges — including nearly 50 in the Cal State University’s 23-campus system — whose visas were revoked without warning starting in early March through April, resulting in fear and confusion among students and faculty who were not offered explanations.
Federal agencies have deleted the SEVIS records for more than 4,700 international students nationwide since January, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Some reports suggest that cancellations may be tied to past infractions — such as a traffic ticket — the students received, according to EdSource.
Visa cancellations affected more than 100 students in California, including dozens of University of California schools, from Berkeley to San Diego, as well as private institutions like Stanford.
But the decision has, albeit ostensibly, been reversed for now. Cancellations spurred dozens of court challenges around the country, including a coalition of state attorneys general partly led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
More than 35 suits have resulted in judges granting temporary restraining orders against the visa terminations.
Brian Green, an attorney representing the U.S. Government, provided a letter to the Associated Press stating that Immigration officials continue to develop “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 re-activated if not currently active and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the (National Crime Information Center) finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination,” the letter read.
Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security Department spokeswoman, said in a statement that the department has “not reversed course on a single visa revocation.”
“What we did is restore SEVIS access for people who had not had their visa revoked,” McLaughlin said.
University officials, according to the CSULB website, do not share information regarding a student’s immigration status or ethnicity with anyone, including law enforcement, without the students’ or employees’ permission — unless required by a warrant or court order.
As of fall 2024, CSULB had 1,490 international students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs and another thousand-plus in Optional Practical Training, language, exchange and non-degree programs.