‘Never heard of anything like it’: Student visas revoked across 4 Mass. universities

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Student visas of undergraduates and recent graduates have been revoked across four local universities.

In a letter from the Harvard International Office, they said that while conducting a routine records review, they became aware of the situation and notified them before referring them to legal assistance.

In a statement, the school said that, “We are not aware of the details of the revocations or the reasons for them, but we understand that comparable numbers of students and scholars in institutions across the country have experienced similar status changes in roughly the same timeframe.”

This comes after 5 international students at UMass Amherst and a Tufts student all had their visas suddenly revoked. Northeastern University and UMass Boston confirmed similar situations.

“Harvard deeply values the international students and scholars who travel here to learn and grow,” Harvard later wrote. “The talent they bring to campus each day increases our ability to advance world-class discovery in fields that have meaningful impact on people’s lives, while creating positive relationships and discourse that expand the horizons of people across our community. We are committed to continuing to support them.”

Harvard has announced that they will refrain from identifying those who have had their visas revoked to protect their privacy.

Boston 25 spoke with several international students at Harvard on Sunday, just hours after the news was made public.

“I’ve never heard of anything like it,” said one senior from East Africa. He requested to remain anonymous.

He continued, “I wouldn’t say dangerous, but it’s risky to speak up.”

Another from China added, “I hope everybody here, especially for international students, can study in peace without worrying.”

Inhwi Hwang, a Harvard Graduate student from South Korea, said he’s been tracking recent visa revocations across the country this past week.

“It’s a really concerning thing this kind of sentiment spreads across the country,” he told Boston 25 Sunday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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