DeKALB – The visas of five NIU international students have been reinstated after being revoked earlier this month.
The university confirmed the student visas were reinstated in a statement to the Northern Star.
“The university remains steadfast in its support of international students and scholars and strongly encourages all to continue following existing guidance and utilize available resources during this stressful time,” the statement said.
News of the reinstatements comes after news last week that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reversed the visa terminations after thousands of students across the country reported their visas were revoked.
NIU officials declined to provide information about the status of the students. At this time it is unclear if they are on NIU’s campus.
In information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, at least one student’s visa was terminated due to failure to maintain status and for security and related grounds.
Last month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the state department was revoking visas of people acting counter to national interests.
After the announcement, at least 1,800 students at over 280 colleges and universities had their visas revoked.
The visas were reinstated after judges across the U.S. issued temporary orders restoring students’ records after lawsuits were brought by students in response to their legal status being terminated.
According to statements issued to the Associated Press, ICE is developing a policy for a framework for Student and Exchange Visitor Systems database (SEVIS) record terminations. Until the framework is developed, students whose legal status was terminated have had their statuses reinstated.
