Washington DC23 minutes ago
- Copy link
Hundreds of foreign students studying in the US have received a sudden email of their F-1 visa i.e. student visa cancellation. This mail has been sent by the US State Ministry (DOS) in the last week of March.
This e-mail has been sent to those students who are involved in the demonstrations held on campus activism. According to reports, such mails have also been sent to those students who were not involved in the campus activism, but they have shared, like or comment on social media.
The mail states that the students’ F-1 visa have been canceled. Students have been asked to leave themselves i.e. to leave the US. If they do not do so, they have also been warned to face legal action.
The US government is identifying such students with the help of the ‘Catch and Rivok’ app. According to External Affairs Minister Marco Rubio, till March 26, the F-1 visa of more than 300 ‘Hamas’ students has been canceled. It also includes many Indian students.
Warning in e-mail- leave the country or else will be detained
This mail has been sent to many university students. It has popular institutions like Harvard University, Columbia University, Yale University, California University, Michigan University. However, the accurate information of how many students of universities have been sent this mail have not been revealed yet.
In the email, the students were told that their F-1 visa has been canceled under Section 221 (i) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. Now if they live in America, they can be fined, they can be detained or submitted.
Email also states that students can be sent to other countries besides their home countries. So it is better that he leaves himself by himself.
Students received warning not to use visa
Email states that if you intend to travel to America in future, you will have to apply for another American visa. After this your application will be decided. In this, students have been warned not to use the canceled visas. It has also been said that he will have to submit his passport in the US embassy while leaving America.
How many students have left America so far, it is not known. Many students are leaving themselves by themselves without formal submission and some have challenged this decision in the court.
According to media reports, mails have also been sent to some Indian students. According to India Today, Indian students have received e-mails due to some social media posts like Hamas. However, their identity has not been made public.
US Secretary of State said- will not tolerate commotion in university
Regarding the email that canceled F-1 visa, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that more than 300 students’ visas have been canceled. This number can also be high. We are doing this every day. Every time I get a ‘madman’, I cancel her visa.
Rubio said that these students have been allowed to come to America, not to ruin our universities by joining campus activism. If you come here with a visa and join such activities, then your visa can be taken away.
Rubio said that visa is not a birthright. If someone comes to our country and spreads chaos, then he will have to leave from here. We will not tolerate such people who create uproar in our universities.
The Israel-Hamas war took place in several universities in the US. There was a lot of controversy over the performance in support of Palestine in Columbia and Howard. He was seen as Hamas support.
AI app identifies students on social media
The AI app ‘Catch and Rivok’ app is being used to explore students supporting Hamas in the US. The app is used by the US State Ministry and the rest of the agencies. Common people cannot use it. This app was launched in March.
With the help of this app, on March 5, a student of Turki, Rumca Ozaturk, was identified. She was studying at Tofts University, Boston. He posted on social media in support of Palestine, after which the US State Ministry canceled his visa.
On March 25, Rumcsa was going to her friend’s house for Iftar during Ramadan. Then he was arrested by immigration and customs Information (ICE) officials. Rumca then filed a case against the ICE. However, the judge banned the government from sending them out of the country. He is currently in custody in Louisiana.
The ICE first arrested a man named Mahmud Khalil in this case. He led the performance at Columbia University. Khalil is a citizen of Palestinian origin. He is also kept in a custody center in Louisiana.
Mahmud Khalil delivering a speech during a demonstration at Columbia University. The photo is from June 2024.
India’s Rajni self -evils herself, went to Canada from America Ranjani Srinivas and Badar Khan Suri of India are two popular names which are related to this matter. The visa of Indian student Ranjani Srinivasan, studying at Columbia University in America, was canceled. The US Home Safety Department (DHS) has alleged that Srinivasan was involved in ‘promoting violence-violence’ and in the activities supporting Hamas. After the visa was canceled, Ranjani left the US and moved to Canada after being self -submitted.
At the same time, Badar Khan Suri is accused of spreading propaganda in support of Hamas in America. Suri was a student of Georgetown University in America under the Student Exchange Program. He was studying as a post doctoral fellow at the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding. Whether or not Badar Khan Suri’s visa was canceled is not yet known.
Indian researcher Badar Khan Suri and PHD students Ranjani were accused of supporting Hamas and Palestine.
Advice of Indian Ministry of External Affairs- Indian students consider American law
On 30 March 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs (Mea) had asked Indian students studying in the US to strictly follow the local laws and visa rules. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said in Parliament, “Our students are advised to avoid activities in America that can endanger their visa status.”
The Government of India assured the students that the embassy and consulates are available to help them if needed. Following the cancellation of visa in March 2025, Jaishankar said that they are talking to US authorities to ensure that Indian students are prolonged. However, the Indian government has not registered any formal protest in the matter so far.
The US State Ministry or the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has not clarified how many Indian students have been canceled so far. According to media reports, many lawyers who have dealt with immigrant cases have said that they have received information about the cancellation of the visa of some Indian students. However, how much this figure is, it has not been cleared yet.
Experts said- Students can continue studying even after getting email Immigration cases lawyer Cyrus Mehta in the US told Dainik Bhaskar that the immigration and customs inforation (ICE) silently took up the work of the officers who have seen cases related to the students. He has canceled the status of F-1 student. Despite this, students can continue their studies and challenge the decision of the State Department in the court.
Indian students spent Rs 1.38 lakh crore in America According to the Open Doors Report 2024, 3 lakh 32 thousand students were studying in the US in 2023-24. This is 23% higher than the previous 2022-23. Most of them are F-1 visa, as this is the most common visa for foreign students. Experts believe that the number of Indian students studying in the US can reach 4 lakh next year.
Every Indian student in the US spends average 30 to 70 lakh rupees. There is so much difference in expenditure on the basis of city, university. On the basis of estimates in some reports, Indian students in the US spent Rs 1.38 lakh crore in 2023-24.
