Harvard’s International Students Face Unpredictable Visa Crisis This Summer

(HARVARD, MASSACHUSETTS) Harvard University’s international students entered the 2025 summer with plans for internships, family visits, and research trips abroad. Many returned to campus late, stranded in consular backlogs or unsure whether their visas would hold at the airport. Others never left at all.

A chain of federal actions — an abrupt revocation of Harvard’s SEVP certification, followed by a presidential proclamation targeting the school, then emergency court orders — produced a rolling, nationwide visa crisis that upended travel and enrollment for thousands of students tied to one of the world’s most visible universities. As of Sept. 5, 2025, court blocks remain in place, but uncertainty still surrounds consular processing and border screening for Harvard’s F‑1 and J‑1 communities, according to university updates and legal filings.

Timeline of Key Actions

• April 16, 2025: DHS requested five years of disciplinary records tied to international students. Harvard pushed back, calling the request overly broad and not tied to a valid investigative need.
• May 22, 2025: The Department of Homeland Security, led by Secretary Kristi Noem, revoked Harvard’s certification in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). DHS claimed noncompliance with the records request and alleged ties to foreign influence; Harvard said the demand was unlawful and retaliatory.
• June 4, 2025: President Trump issued a Presidential Proclamation suspending the issuance of new F, M, and J visas to people admitted to Harvard and directed the Secretary of State to consider revoking visas of current Harvard students. The proclamation cited national security concerns and alleged foreign ties.
• June 6, 2025: A federal district court in Massachusetts granted Harvard a temporary restraining order that blocked enforcement of the proclamation and treated Harvard’s SEVP certification as active while the case proceeded.
• Sept. 5, 2025: Court blocks remain in place, allowing Harvard to continue issuing sponsorship documents, while consular and border uncertainty persists.

What SEVP Certification Means — and Why It Mattered

SEVP certification is the core legal status that allows a university to enroll and support students on F‑1, J‑1, and M‑1 visas. When DHS revoked Harvard’s certification, it effectively closed the legal channel through which the university issues the critical sponsorship documents:

• Form I‑20 — needed to apply for an F‑1 visa and enter the U.S. to study. Official info: What is the Form I‑20?
• DS‑2019 — the basis for J‑1 exchange visas. Official info: About Form DS‑2019

Without active certification, schools cannot lawfully issue these documents. The revocation therefore put nearly every international student’s study plan in jeopardy.

Legal Actions and Court Orders

Harvard sued, arguing the SEVP revocation violated:

• First Amendment protections (free speech)
• Due process rights
• Basic administrative law principles

The White House proclamation amplified the impact by making a school‑specific DHS action into a national visa rule. Within 48 hours of the proclamation, the federal court issued an emergency order pausing its enforcement and restoring Harvard’s ability to support students while litigation continued. As of Sept. 5, both the proclamation’s enforcement and the SEVP revocation are blocked, meaning Harvard remains certified to issue sponsorship documents — for now.

The pause is temporary and depends on ongoing court oversight; any change in court rulings could trigger new consular slowdowns or border reviews.

Consular and Border Responses

Consular posts and border officials reacted quickly to the policy swings:

• Embassies and consulates halted new interview scheduling for many Harvard students and, in some cases, refused visas that would previously have been routine.
• Students reported cancellations even after approvals had been issued.
• Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Boston Logan placed some Harvard visa holders into secondary inspection, causing missed connections and, for some, decisions to avoid travel.

Visa applicants rely on local consulate procedures, country‑specific security checks, and officer discretion. The State Department notes procedures vary by post and summer is often the busiest season for student visas. For official guidance, see the Department of State’s central resource at U.S. Visas.

Student Impacts — Patterns and Examples

The crisis affected roughly 7,000 international students — more than a quarter of Harvard’s total student body — producing several common patterns:

• Incoming students without visas could still apply, but often faced slower interview scheduling and added screening.
• Current students in the U.S. on valid status could continue studying but faced higher risk when traveling abroad due to post‑by‑post interpretations and potential new rulings.
• Students with revoked or denied visas during the revocation window had to choose between transferring SEVIS records to other institutions or waiting for court resolutions.
• Harvard‑sponsored J‑1 scholars and exchange visitors experienced similar uncertainty tied to document reviews and security checks.

Human examples included:
– A doctoral student who postponed five years of research fearing reentry denial.
– An M.P.P. candidate who canceled a family visit to protect her fall internship.
– Undergraduates losing internship offers when start dates collided with interview backlogs.

Campus Response and Guidance

Harvard’s International Office issued frequent updates and practical advice:

• Reminded students that while courts allowed Harvard to issue documents, consulates retain final visa authority.
• Flagged preexisting travel restrictions for certain nationalities and warned of added questioning at ports of entry.
• Advised students to track official messages and document every visa interaction in case legal help becomes necessary.

Key practical reminders from the university:
– Keep records current and hold a valid travel signature.
– Carry recent official sponsorship documents: updated Form I‑20 for F‑1 students and DS‑2019 for J‑1 students/scholars.
– Document consular communications, cancellations, or denials.

Policy, Legal Stakes, and Broader Implications

This case raises several deeper legal and policy issues:

• First Amendment claim: Harvard alleges DHS punished protected speech and campus activity.
• Due process claim: Focus on notice and the right to challenge government actions with heavy penalties.
• Administrative law: Whether DHS followed required procedures when seeking sweeping student records and then withdrawing certification.
• Separation of powers: Whether a president can single out a specific institution in exercising delegated immigration authority.

Immigration lawyers warn that targeting a single school departs from long‑standing practice and risks chilling international higher education. If courts limit the government’s reach, schools may cite the decision in future audits. If the government prevails, universities may tighten compliance and reassess responses to broad records requests.

Analysis from VisaVerge.com noted that student mobility depends on steady, predictable systems — clear document rules, dependable consular scheduling, and stable policies. When those assumptions break, students hedge by deferring, transferring, or staying close to campus.

Practical Travel and Planning Advice

Students planning fall and winter travel should consider:

1. Check documents and timing
   • Verify passport validity, visa expiration, and the latest travel signature.
   • Many schools advise travel signatures less than 12 months old for F‑1 students and less than 6 months for J‑1s, though practices vary.
2. Build extra time into plans
   • Interview backlogs and security checks can add weeks to processing.
3. Keep program documents updated
   • If academic plans change (degree, funding, major, or study site), ensure SEVIS and I‑20/DS‑2019 reflect changes before booking travel.
4. Monitor official sources
   • Department of State: U.S. Visas
   • Harvard International Office updates
5. Avoid risky travel in complex cases
   • Students from countries with added restrictions or prior visa issues may face longer reviews.

Additional practical steps:

• Carry printed copies of your latest Form I‑20 or DS‑2019, admission letter, proof of funding, and housing details.
• If asked about the litigation, keep answers factual: court orders allow Harvard to issue sponsorship documents and pause enforcement of the proclamation and revocation.
• Save proof of consular communications, including cancellations or denials. If refused under section 221(g) for administrative processing, note the date and any document requests.
• Coordinate with your department on flexible arrival dates or remote start options.
• If considering transfer, consult advisers about the timing of transferring your SEVIS record and the impact on work authorization tied to F‑1 or J‑1 status.

Operational Impacts for Employers and Departments

Employers, internship hosts, and academic departments are adapting:

• Internship hosts may push start dates or shift to remote work when candidates are abroad.
• Labs relying on J‑1 researchers are checking timelines for sponsorship edits and travel holds.
• Departments are creating contingency plans to preserve course continuity if groups of students are delayed.

These adjustments help soften the shock for those caught in processing queues or awaiting rulings.

Border Procedures: Secondary Inspection at Ports of Entry

CBP’s secondary inspections add a further layer of unpredictability:

• Officers can send travelers to secondary for document checks, database hits, or follow‑up questions.
• For students, secondary can involve confirming SEVIS records, the court order’s effect, and whether the I‑20/DS‑2019 matches the visa.
• Time in secondary varies; for students with connecting flights, it can mean missing orientation, housing check‑in, or first days of classes.

What Comes Next

As of Sept. 5, the temporary restraining orders remain in place:

• The government cannot enforce the proclamation against Harvard’s students or carry out the SEVP revocation while the court monitors the case.
• Harvard may continue issuing I‑20s and DS‑2019s, and students can submit visa applications and attend interviews.
• The situation remains unsettled: the administration could seek new measures, the proclamation could be extended or revised, and DHS may continue administrative reviews.

Attorneys say the court’s eventual ruling will set precedent on how far federal agencies may go when seeking student records or imposing school‑specific penalties. Either outcome — limits on government reach or a government victory — will have operational and reputational consequences for universities and their international communities.

Key Takeaways and Practical Checklist

• The proclamation and the SEVP revocation are currently blocked; visa sponsorship continues, but consular decisions vary case by case.
• For immediate preparation, students should:
  • Carry printed copies of your latest I‑20/DS‑2019, admission letter, funding evidence, and housing information.
  • Keep answers factual if questioned about litigation: courts allowed Harvard to issue sponsorship documents and paused enforcement.
  • Save all consular communications and record dates of cancellations, denials, or administrative processing requests.
  • Coordinate with departments on flexible arrivals or remote starts.
  • Consider transfer timing carefully if contemplating a move.

No one expects students to be legal experts; they need stable rules. Until stability returns, clear paperwork, careful timing, and steady communication with campus advisers offer the best chance to protect study plans.

The story remains in motion: the court will set schedules for briefs and hearings; DHS can continue administrative reviews; and the White House may extend or replace the proclamation. For Harvard and its international students, the priority is to preserve certification and keep pathways open so students can arrive, study, and graduate on time.

However this case ends, it signals a shift: a single institution’s SEVP certification became the center of a national immigration debate with legal, academic, and human stakes. For now, the operating facts are narrow but powerful: the proclamation and the revocation are blocked, visa sponsorship continues, and consular decisions move case by case. That keeps the doors open — but does not make travel feel routine.

For international students who still have flights to book or relatives to see, the simple and hard plan is: prepare for every scenario, print redundancy into your travel folder, and hope the next update brings fewer surprises.