The government’s unpredictable position and opaque policies regarding SEVIS records and the impact on international students’ legal status has created widespread fear and confusion for international students and those who support them. The lack of clear and consistent rationale threatens grave and long-term damage to the United States’ standing as the top destination for global talent. 

NAFSA has created a dashboard to display real-time updates to the number of terminated SEVIS records that have been reactivated and/or re-terminated. It also shows whether an international student’s OPT/STEM OPT date was properly restored. Optional Practical Training is an essential program offering on-the-job-training to international students pending permission from both their institution and the Department of Homeland Security. Being able to work in the United States after graduation is a key consideration among international students when weighing where to study. 

These figures reflect voluntary reporting by designated school officials at U.S. colleges and universities as provided to NAFSA via its anonymous reporting tool. They are not meant to be exhaustive or comprehensive but rather illustrative of the shifting nature of this issue. NAFSA will share information about patterns or trends that may emerge from these reports. In the meantime, members of Congress, higher education associations, and federal court judges continue to request that the government release information and guidance regarding its enforcement actions but those requests have not yet been met.