University of Houston faces visa revocation challenges amid national trend

HOUSTON - An assistant professor at the University of Houston is preparing to leave the country after his visa was unexpectedly revoked, highlighting a growing issue affecting hundreds of international students across Texas and the nation.

What we know:

While only a small fraction of students have had their visas revoked, a letter sent to students confirmed the departure of an upper-level math professor. In a letter sent to students that made it's way to Reddit, Hyeonseon Jeon, an assistant professor at the University of Houston, informed his students that he must return to South Korea immediately after his visa was terminated. The university stated that Jeon's student visa was revoked due to his recent status as a doctoral student at another institution.

Raed Gonzalez, an immigration attorney, explained, "The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has revoked the visas of over 300 international students and faculty members. This has affected Texas universities, including the University of Texas, Texas A&M, University of North Texas, and Texas Tech."

With hundreds of international students left in legal limbo, Gonzalez emphasized that students can challenge the federal government in court. 

"There are ways of challenging the termination of your visa and requesting the reinstatement of your visas by mistake or charges that can be overcome. They can be challenged," he said.

The University of Houston, which has more than 5,000 international students enrolled, stated that less than one percent have been impacted by the visa terminations. The university added that of the 146 international professors on campus, only one has been affected. Students on campus expressed their disagreement with the situation.

University of Houston students react

Leah Darvey, a student, shared her thoughts: "I just believe it’s not fair. It’s very invasive because they’ve gone through the process of getting into the country for one, two trying to get their education as all of us are."

Vincent Romero, another student, commented, "I think it’s an unfortunate situation and I do feel bad for them, and it’s not fair. They worked hard to even get to where they are."

University of Houston statement 

"Since March 25, a small number of our international students have been impacted by SEVIS terminations and/or visa revocations.  Our practice is to notify these students directly of these changes. The University of Houston’s International Student and Scholar Services Office is committed to supporting our international students and scholars by providing comprehensive services and programs to meet their needs. We have proactively communicated the importance of maintaining compliance with immigration laws and all federal and state laws, and we continue to offer guidance. We are encouraging our international students to remain in close contact with ISSSO and to reach out with any concerns."

The other side:

"There is no right to a student visa.  We can cancel a student visa under the law just the same way that we can deny a student visa under the law. And we will do so in cases we find appropriate," Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on March 28.

What is SEVIS?

Dig deeper:

SEVIS, or the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, is a web-based database maintained by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to track and monitor F-1, M-1, and J-1 nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors in the United States. It's a crucial part of the process for both students and exchange visitors seeking to study or participate in programs in the U.S. 

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) program that administers the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). It ensures that government agencies have essential data related to nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors to preserve national security. SEVP provides approval and oversight to schools authorized to enroll F and M nonimmigrant students and gives guidance to both schools and students about the requirements for maintaining their status.

By the numbers:

There are 5,015 international students enrolled at the University of Houston and 146 international professors.