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US cancels over 100,000 visas citing security, thousands linked to students
The US Department of State has revoked more than 100,000 visas so far in a move aimed at what it described as efforts to “maintain the security of the United States”, according to an official announcement made on Monday.
Among the cancelled permits, approximately 8,000 were student visas, while 2,500 were issued to individuals involved in criminal activities who had come to the attention of US law enforcement agencies, the department said in a post on the X platform.
It also emphasised that it would continue to deport these criminals to maintain the security of the United States.
Data published by the US Department of State and a nonprofit institute for international studies show that the total number of international students enrolled in US colleges and universities exceeded 1.1m in the 2023/2024 academic year.
UC cancels 100,000 visas
Students from China and India account for 54 per cent of foreign students in the United States, representing the highest proportion.
Figures from the same period show that Saudi Arabia recorded the highest number of international students in the US among Arab countries, followed by Kuwait in second place and Egypt in third.
Since assuming office last January, the administration of Donald Trump has moved to cancel the visas of hundreds of students, faculty members, and researchers at universities and colleges across the country.
According to the report, some of these actions are linked to suspicions of support for terrorist organisations, while others relate to relatively minor offences committed years earlier, including traffic violations.
