ORLANDO, Fla. — Employees at the University of Central Florida confirm 15 student visas were terminated in the past month.
This comes weeks after it was revealed that visas were being revoked across several Florida college campuses.
University staff say they run reports through SEVIS, which stands for the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. It is utilized by the Department of Homeland Security.
Their report says 15 UCF students had their visas terminated since March 25, and one of those students was detained.
Madhurima Paturi, an attorney with Paturi Law in Orlando, says she is representing seven graduate and Ph.D. students from UCF.
“They’re definitely confused, they’re worried and what is the next move is really bothering them,” said Paturi. “If they do leave, can they ever come back?”
UCF staff say the SEVIS records for all 15 students include a criminal check or “otherwise failing to maintain status” as the reason for termination.
Paturi, who represents clients in all 50 states, says she’s noticed that’s the reason in nearly all of her clients.
“When you look back into those, a lot of them are dismissed or they are still in the process, very (few) or none of them are convicted actually,” she said. “A lot of them have only traffic violations for something like a speeding ticket, so how is that a criminal charge?”
University officials say once they are aware a student’s SEVIS record has been terminated, they relay that information to the student and advise they leave the country. However, Paturi says if a student decides to leave, it is unclear if they can come back.
University of Central Florida officials sent a statement on the immigration changes.
“UCF Global is communicating directly with international students to provide them with information. As a public university that receives state and federal funding, UCF will continue to comply with all state and federal laws.”
