Trump administration revokes Harvard's eligibility to enrol foreign students, impacting students from India, elsewhere

New York: The Trump administration has revoked Harvard University's eligibility to enrol foreign students, raising concerns over the legal status of thousands of students, including nearly 800 from India, currently enrolled at the varsity. In an unprecedented development, the Trump administration on Thursday ordered the Department of Homeland Security to terminate Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification. “This means Harvard can no longer enrol foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the federal agency said. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a letter dated May 22 to Harvard University that “I am writing to inform you that effective immediately, Harvard University’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification is revoked.” The development also threatens to impact the students from India, who are studying at Harvard University. Currently, Harvard hosts a total of about 10,158 students and scholars from around the world across its schools.

According to statistics on the website of Harvard International Office, there are 788 students and scholars from India at all schools under Harvard University for the 2024-25 academic year. The Harvard Global Support Services said on its website that each year, anywhere from 500-800 Indian students and scholars study at Harvard. Ajay Bhutoria, former advisor to President Joe Biden on the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Commission told PTI in a statement that as an Indian-American committed to fostering opportunity for the community and a strong advocate for immigration policies under the Biden administration, he is “deeply outraged” by the Trump administration’s decision. He said Indian students contribute over USD 9 billion annually to the US economy and strengthen the cultural and economic ties between the two nations, often going on to lead innovation in tech, medicine, and beyond. “This policy directly threatens over 500 Indian students at Harvard, forcing them to transfer or leave the US before the next academic year begins. These students, who represent the brightest minds from cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, have invested their dreams, finances and futures in a Harvard education—only to have their aspirations shattered by a politically motivated attack,” Bhutoria said. He added that the additional demand by the Department of Homeland Security for protest footage and disciplinary records is a “blatant attempt” to intimidate and silence students, particularly those engaged in activism. “This is not the America we stand for—an America that should be a beacon of opportunity, not a place of fear for young scholars,” Bhutoria said. He added that the termination of Harvard’s SEVP certification sends a "chilling message” to Indian students and the broader South Asian diaspora that “your contributions are not valued.” “By targeting Harvard, the Trump administration risks driving talent to countries like Canada and the UK, weakening US-India relations at a time when collaboration is more critical than ever,” he said.

Bhutoria called on the administration to reverse this decision immediately and urged the Biden-era allies in Congress to “fight for our students’ rights. To the Indian government and our community: let us unite in advocacy, amplify these students’ voices, and ensure that education remains a bridge, not a barrier, between our nations.” Noem said in the letter that the revocation of Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification means that Harvard is prohibited from having persons on F or J non-immigrant visa status for the 2025-26 academic school year. “This decertification also means that existing aliens on F or J non-immigrant status must transfer to another university in order to maintain the non-immigrant status,” she said. The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) allows individuals to enter the United States as a full-time student at an accredited college, university, academic high school or other academic institution. J visas are nonimmigrant visas for individuals approved to participate in exchange visitor programmes in the United States. Harvard said that the University is aware of the US Department of Homeland Security order to terminate Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Programme (SEVP) certification for the 2025-26 academic year. “Harvard is committed to maintaining our ability to host our international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University and this nation,” it said. The announcement comes just days before thousands of foreign students are set to graduate at Harvard. The new academic session will begin in the fall. Noem said in the letter that if “Harvard would like the opportunity of regaining” its SEVP certification before the upcoming academic school year, it “must provide all of the information requested” within 72 hours. Harvard is required to provide any and all records, whether official or informal, in its possession, including electronic records and audio or video footage regarding illegal activity, dangerous or violent activity, threats to other students or University personnel, deprivation of rights of other classmates or University personnel, whether on or off campus by a nonimmigrant student enrolled in Harvard University in the last five years. The university is also required to provide any and all disciplinary records of all nonimmigrant students enrolled in Harvard University in the last five years and any and all audio or video footage in the possession of Harvard University of any protest activity involving a nonimmigrant student on a Harvard University campus in the last five years. DHS further said that Harvard’s leadership has created an “unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment. “Many of these agitators are foreign students. Harvard’s leadership further facilitated and engaged in coordinated activity with the Chinese Communist Party, including hosting and training members of a CCP paramilitary group complicit in the Uyghur genocide,” it said. Noem said the Trump administration is holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus. “It is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enrol foreign students and benefit from their higher tuition payments to help pad their multibillion-dollar endowments," she said. "Harvard had plenty of opportunities to do the right thing. It refused. They have lost their Student and Exchange Visitor Programme certification as a result of their failure to adhere to the law. Let this serve as a warning to all universities and academic institutions across the country.”