Amid the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration, the US government on Tuesday warned Indian students studying in American institutions that they may lose eligibility for future visas if they “skip classes, drop out or leave their program of study without informing”.
In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the US Embassy in India asked students to always adhere to the terms of their visa and maintain their student status to avoid any issues.
"If you drop out, skip classes, or leave your program of study without informing your school, your student visa may be revoked, and you may lose eligibility for future US visas. Always adhere to the terms of your visa and maintain your student status to avoid any issues," the post read.
In a prior post on X, the Embassy also cautioned that if an individual remains in the "United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on travelling to the United States in the future.”
The warning comes days after a federal judge in California temporarily blocked the Trump administration from terminating the legal status of international students across the US, while lawsuits challenging previous terminations are pending.
The Thursday order by US District Judge Jeffrey S White in Oakland bars the government from arresting, incarcerating or moving students elsewhere based on their legal status until the case is resolved, according to an AP report.
However, students can still be arrested for other reasons, and their legal status can still be revoked if they are convicted of a violent crime carrying a prison term of more than a year, the report said.
As part of its crackdown on immigrants and foreign nationals, the Trump administration has revoked the permission of 4,700 international students to study, with little notice or explanation. In court hearings, Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through an FBI-run database that contains the names of suspects and people who have been arrested, even if the charges were dropped or they were never charged with a crime.
