US AI PhD Student Claims Visa Revoked by Authorities

A Ph.D. student studying artificial intelligence in California had their SEVIS record terminated, which serves as digital proof of a valid student visa, jeopardizing their immigration status.

Speaking to TechCrunch under anonymity due to fear of repercussions, the student stated that their university’s international student center notified them of being flagged in a criminal background check. The student, who has been studying in the U.S. for almost ten years after starting as an undergraduate, said they have no criminal history.

“The most probable explanation could be an encounter with law enforcement many years ago, even before I started graduate school,” the student explained. “I was involved in AI research and had planned to pursue this work after completing my degree.”

Over recent months, more than a thousand international students in the U.S. have faced challenges to their visa status from the State Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid a rigorous crackdown initiated by the Trump administration. In many situations, colleges were not informed directly by federal agencies, leaving students with minimal notice and limited options for appeal.

Yisong Yue, a machine learning professor at Caltech, told TechCrunch that the U.S. government's stringent approach to student visas is “damaging the talent pipeline.”

“The collective impact is making the U.S. a far less attractive place for many skilled researchers,” Yue said. “Because research is so specialized, removing a Ph.D. student from a project can delay progress by months or even years. Beyond the individuals and projects directly affected, many visa-holding students are feeling concerned.”

Few educational institutions have avoided the effects of this enforcement. Reports indicate that students from Ivy League universities, large public colleges, and small liberal arts schools have had visas suspended. Although some were accused of backing Palestinian militant groups or involvement in “antisemitic” activities, others were flagged for minor legal issues such as speeding tickets or traffic violations.

Some revocations seem to stem from administrative errors. In one case, Suguru Onda, a computer science Ph.D. candidate at Brigham Young University, had their student visa reinstated without explanation after their immigration attorney filed a lawsuit. According to the attorney, Adam Crayk, the government is using artificial intelligence to screen visa applicants without adequate human oversight, leading to inaccuracies.

Last week, a Georgia judge issued a temporary restraining order affecting approximately 100 international students whose visas were revoked and ordered the government to restore their legal status. This ruling, however, covers only a small portion of students facing deportation and may face legal challenges going forward.

Yue highlighted that international students have played a key role in several recent AI breakthroughs. For example, Ashish Vaswani, who came to the U.S. in the early 2000s to study computer science, co-created the transformer—the groundbreaking AI architecture that powers modern chatbots like ChatGPT. Wojciech Zaremba, a co-founder of OpenAI, earned his doctorate in AI from NYU while on a student visa.

A recent NAFSA analysis found that international students contributed $43.8 billion to the U.S. economy during the 2023-2024 academic year and helped support more than 378,000 jobs.

Yue mentioned he has had “multiple conversations” with senior AI researchers who are reconsidering their future in the United States.

“This includes professors at leading universities and researchers at firms like OpenAI and Google,” he added. “The long-term effect of government policies is making the U.S. a much less desirable home for many gifted scientists.”