The Trump administration has revoked 85,000 visas since January 2025, more than doubling the previous year’s total, a U.S. State Department official said. The sharp rise in visa cancellations marks one of the most aggressive shifts in entry and stay policy in recent years and is already sending shock waves through student communities, long‑term visitors, and families split between the United States 🇺🇸 and abroad.
Scope and categories of revoked visas
According to the official, the revoked 85,000 visas cover a range of categories, from tourists and workers to students. More than 8,000 of the cancellations involved student visas, a scale that university administrators and immigration attorneys say they have rarely seen before.
Nearly half of the visa cancellations—about 42,500 visas—were tied to crimes including DUI, assault, and theft, the official said. These cases involve people who had already been issued visas but later came to the government’s attention because of criminal records or allegations.
The remainder of the revocations were linked to visa overstays and what the government has described as national security concerns, although officials have not released a detailed public breakdown of those categories.
Travel ban and provisional cancellations
The surge in cancellations unfolded alongside a June 2025 travel ban that affected 19 countries. Within the first seven days after that ban took effect, the State Department provisionally revoked roughly 60,000 individuals’ visas, according to internal counts described by officials.
Those provisional cancellations, layered on top of the broader wave of permanent revocations since January, illustrate how quickly the administration has moved to redraw who may travel to or remain in the United States.
The travel ban immediately disrupted travel plans for thousands who had cleared consular interviews and background checks. Many only learned their visas were no longer valid when airlines refused to board them or when they checked their status online and saw their visas had been revoked.
While some of those 60,000 provisional cancellations are separate from the 85,000 visas formally revoked since January, together they show a system increasingly inclined toward denial and cancellation when doubts arise.
Students and SEVIS terminations
Student visa holders have been at the center of intense debate. Officials say more than 1,600 student visas have been revoked, and more than 4,700 international students have had their SEVIS records terminated.
SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) tracks foreign students and exchange visitors while they are in the country. In many cases, students reported SEVIS terminations occurred suddenly, with no prior warning and no explanation they could easily understand.
Some students have never been convicted of a crime. In several reported cases, the government moved to cancel visas or terminate SEVIS records based on dismissed misdemeanor charges or even non‑criminal protest activities.
For students who joined demonstrations over the war in Gaza, that has raised direct First Amendment questions. Lawyers argue that punishing foreign students for peaceful protest, or for arrests that never resulted in conviction, crosses a constitutional line—even if those students are not U.S. citizens.
Legal context and analysis
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, actions against students fit a broader pattern in which the government is treating even minor or unresolved legal issues as reasons to cancel status.
Attorneys note that the government has long had the power to pull visas when crimes such as DUI, assault, and theft are involved. What is different now is the speed and breadth of enforcement—and the willingness to act even in cases without convictions or involving political activity.
Courts have begun to push back in a limited fashion. In several cases, judges granted temporary restraining orders restoring SEVIS records for certain students, finding the government’s actions were “arbitrary and capricious.” That legal phrase indicates the agency either failed to provide a clear, reasonable explanation or did not follow its own rules.
These court rulings do not overturn the broader revocation campaign, but they suggest some cancellations may not survive detailed judicial review.
Human impact
The human consequences are immediate and severe:
- When a SEVIS record is terminated, a student can fall out of status immediately.
- That may force a student to leave the country, losing years of education and large sums of tuition already paid.
- Students have been prevented from reentering the U.S. after short trips abroad, even while enrolled and in good standing.
- On‑campus jobs, research roles, and internships can vanish because employers can no longer rely on work authorization.
Families also feel the effects:
- A parent whose tourist visa is revoked over an old arrest may no longer visit children or grandchildren in the U.S.
- A worker whose visa is cancelled over an unresolved accusation may lose a job and the ability to support relatives back home.
- Because revocation decisions often come without detailed explanations, many affected people are left guessing what triggered the action and what, if anything, they can do to fight it.
Universities are responding by trying to reassure students and adjusting advice:
- Admissions offices are reviewing travel guidance, especially during school breaks.
- International student offices urge students to keep copies of all legal documents and to seek private legal help if they face criminal charges—even for minor incidents.
What individuals can do
People with current visas have limited options but can take some steps:
- Check official visa information and monitor status on the U.S. State Department site:
- If arrested or charged, assume immigration consequences are possible.
- Seek legal advice that considers both criminal and immigration implications.
Lawyers emphasize that final revocation power resides with consular and immigration officers.
The combination of the June 2025 travel ban, the mass provisional cancellations of 60,000 visas in its first week, and the total of 85,000 visas revoked since January paints a picture of a system where caution is increasingly defined as refusal.
Current trajectory and outlook
For now, there is no public sign the State Department will slow the pace of visa cancellations. Officials insist they are acting within long‑standing legal powers to revoke visas when new information appears.
As the numbers rise and legal battles continue, the tension between security, public safety, and individual rights is moving from abstract policy debate into the daily lives of students, families, and workers whose ability to cross borders can now vanish with a single notice of revocation.
The State Department revoked 85,000 visas since January 2025, with about 42,500 linked to crimes and over 8,000 affecting students. A June 2025 travel ban on 19 countries triggered roughly 60,000 provisional cancellations in its first week. Students faced mass SEVIS terminations and legal disputes; some courts granted temporary relief. The rapid, broad enforcement has disrupted travel, education and family ties, with limited public breakdowns and ongoing legal challenges.
