Juilliard Student's Visa Revoked by U.S. Government

One of the school’s international students has had their visa revoked without notice by the U.S. government

As reported by The New York Times, hundreds of international students studying across the U.S. have had their visas revoked by new policies set by the Trump administration and could be facing deportation.

Among them is a student from The Juilliard School, whose visa was terminated for reasons that are “unclear at this time.” 

This move from the Trump administration aligns with its broader policy agenda of reducing the number of immigrants, both legal and undocumented

In 2024, the U.S. issued more than 400,000 visas to students, who must meet a series of requirements to obtain a student visa, usually an F-1 visa. After gaining admission to a school, students go through an interview process at a U.S. embassy or consulate abroad. 

“In recent days, a number of international students on F-1 visas at universities across the nation have had their visas revoked by the federal government and their SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) status terminated, often without notice to the school or the student,” The Juilliard School wrote in a letter to its community. “These developments have understandably raised concerns for many within our community, and we are writing today with an important update.

“Unfortunately, the school has learned that the visa and SEVIS record of one of our students has been terminated. We discovered this situation through routine monitoring of SEVIS records by Juilliard's Office of International Advisement. The reason for the termination remains unclear at this time. We immediately notified the student of this development and connected them with legal resources to guide and support them in this process.

“Juilliard's Office of International Advisement has been in regular contact with our international students to provide ongoing support and resources and will continue to actively monitor SEVIS records,” they continued. “Please know that we are closely monitoring the rapidly changing student visa status situation and assessing its impact on our community while continuing to follow all applicable laws.”

Among the colleges whose students have also been affected are Harvard, Stanford, Michigan, UCLA, and Ohio State University.

“This upends all usual practice by the government,” said Miriam Feldblum, CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, which represents over 570 public and private U.S. schools. “They are terminating students’ statuses in a way they have never done before and with virtually no explanation and little recourse to correct or appeal by either the institution or the students.”