Home > Magazine > Immigration > Immigration News Briefs

Immigration News Briefs

Provided by Sadia Subhani

May 2025

Many Student Visas Being Revoked by ICE

Immigration advocacy organizations have received reports of international students on F-1 Student Visas having their SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) record terminated by ICE Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). This effectively cancels their visa status. Many of these individuals have also had their visas revoked by the Department of State. At first, we were seeing reports of students who participated in protests last year having their visas revoked, but the latest revocations also includes students who have not engaged in activism. Students with any sort of encounters with law enforcement, including charges that have been dismissed and old misdemeanors pre-dating their most recent visa issuance, are particularly at risk.

Typically, SEVIS records are terminated by the academic institution and not by SEVP. In the current instances, neither the Designated School Official (DSO) at universities nor the students are regularly being notified of this termination. DSOs typically learn of the termination when they run periodic reports of their students and see a discrepancy in the record. The student may find out about a visa revocation by email from DOS, and the DSO may also get a message from SEVP, but in most cases, only when a DSO contacts SEVP about the discrepancy are they told that the record was in fact terminated.

International students should monitor all their email accounts to ensure notice. If you find that your status has been revoked, contact an immigration attorney as soon as possible to see if you can be reinstated, or have other options for remaining in the U.S.

IRS to Share Immigrant Tax Data with ICE

In a policy shift that could affect millions of immigrants, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has agreed to share taxpayer information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist in deportation efforts. This unprecedented agreement represents a fundamental change in how the traditionally independent tax agency handles confidential taxpayer data. The agreement allows ICE officials to request information from the IRS about individuals who have been ordered to leave the U.S. or who are under investigation. This information could include home addresses, earnings data, and family details that immigrants have provided when filing taxes.

For years, the IRS has encouraged undocumented immigrants to file tax returns using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, codes that allow people without Social Security numbers to comply with tax laws. Millions of undocumented workers contribute billions to federal programs like Social Security through this system. Immigration advocates and tax experts have long assured immigrants that their tax information would remain confidential. This new information-sharing agreement undermines that trust and could have several consequences, including decreased tax compliance as immigrants fear their information could lead to deportation; Growth in “off the books” employment; Reduced tax revenue for federal programs; and damaged trust between immigrant communities and government institutions. Immigration advocacy groups have filed lawsuits to block the implementation of this agreement, and the legal battles are likely to continue.

APPLICATION FINAL ACTION DATES FOR MAY 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Mar16	15Mar16
2A	01Jan22	01Jan22
2B	22Jul16	22Jul16
3rd	01Apr11	**01Apr11**
4th	05Jun06	01Jan08

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Feb22	Current
2nd	01Jan13	22Jun23
3rd	15Apr13	**01Jan23**
Other	15Apr13	22May21
4th	U	U
5th	01May19	Current1B

DATES FOR FILING VISA APPLICATIONS - MAY 2025

FAMILY	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	01Sep17	01Sep17
2A	01Feb25	01Feb25
2B	01Jan17	01Jan17
3rd	22Jul12	22Jul12
4th	01Oct06	01Jun08

EMPLOYMENT	India	Pakistan/Bangladesh
1st	15Apr22	Current
2nd	01Feb13	01Aug23
3rd	08Jun13	01Mar23
Other	08Jun13	22Jun21
4th	01Feb21	01Feb21
5th	01Apr22	Current1B