U.S. Department of State Planning to Revoke Visas for Students from China and Hong Kong

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it will “aggressively revoke” student visas held by nationals of China and Hong Kong. There is no guidance yet on the criteria for revocation, but the announcement implies that revocations will be based on “allegiance” to the Chinese Communist Party, and whether Chinese national students are “studying in critical fields.”  

It is unclear exactly how this will affect students from China/Hong Kong who are currently in the U.S. since the revocation of a visa by DOS does not affect a student’s legal status to study here legally after entry. However, the announcement does say that DOS is working closely with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to coordinate efforts.  Legal status for students is determined through the SEVIS system enforced by DHS and this enforcement is done through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 

In addition, it was announced that visa criteria are being revised to enhance scrutiny of all future student visa applications from China and Hong Kong.

Any international travel by international students, especially Chinese or Hong Kong nationals is extremely risky at this time.  Contact Vong Law Group if you have questions about your student visa.