Four WPI international students have visas revoked

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Federal authorities have revoked the visas of four international students studying at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

WPI does not know why the students’ visas have been rescinded as the university was only alerted to their revocation by checking the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System on Wednesday morning, a government-run web system used to monitor foreign students and exchange visitors.

“In this climate of uncertainty, I want to assure WPI’s international students, staff, and faculty: You are welcome here. You belong here. WPI is here to support you,” WPI President Grace Wang wrote Wednesday in an internal memo obtain by WBJ. “I know from my own experience the transformative power of international study. WPI has long provided a welcoming academic home for students and scholars from around the world. Their perspectives make WPI a more connected, more creative, and more intellectually rigorous university."

WPI checks the SEVIP several times a day and will contact and support students whose visa statuses have changed, said Wang.

“WPI is working directly with these students to help them locate legal representation and to determine the next steps regarding their programs of study. We understand that international students may feel anxious about their visa status,” Wang wrote.

News of the revoked visas comes as President Donald Trump Administration has cracked down on immigration since January, including arresting and detaining international students for expressing support for Palestine in the midst of the Gaza war.

On March 25, Rumeysa Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish international student at Tufts University in Medford was arrested on the street by masked, plain-clothes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement workers.

Additionally, 17 current and former students from Harvard University in Cambridge, UMass Boston, and UMass Amherst have had their visas revoked.

“As we navigate these issues together, WPI encourages all international members of our community to familiarize themselves with their legal rights and responsibilities. WPI staff, led by the International Student and Scholars Office and Talent & Inclusion, are reaching out to our international students, staff, and faculty to provide information and to ensure their documentation is up to date. The university has also provided a politically neutral ‘Know Your Rights’ seminar; a recording has been made available to international students,” wrote Wang.

In the fall 2024 semester, WPI reported enrolling 1,160 international students, representing 15% of its student population, according to the university’s enrollment dashboard. These students come from 98 countries with the vast majority of them, 660 or 57%, holding primary citizenship in China or India.

“WPI is, fundamentally, a place that connects with the world to make brighter futures for ourselves and others through the pursuit of knowledge and innovation. We will remain engaged with the world, and we will continue to welcome the world to WPI,” said Wang.

The U.S. Department of State didn’t return WBJ’s request Thursday morning for information regarding the four WPI student visas.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.