Visas Revoked For A Dozen Students At This University In Connecticut, Officials Say

CONNECTICUT — Visas have been revoked by the U.S. State Department for 13 students at the University of Connecticut, according to school officials.

"As of today (Monday, April 14), UConn’s review of [Student and Exchange Visitor Information System] records has determined that the federal government has terminated the visas of 13 members of the University community," a spokesperson for the university wrote in an email to Patch and other news outlets.

"Those affected are all based at Storrs, and comprise 12 current students (six undergraduates, six graduate students) and one alum in a post-graduate professional program," the spokesperson added. "Their nationalities are not being released."

University officials and students are searching for answers for why the visas were terminated, because the federal government has not informed anyone as to the reasons.

UConn has about 3,450 international students, the vast majority of whom are based at the Storrs campus, officials said.

School officials are working to understand the implications for those students, including their academic and employment options, and they have provided a list of "Legal Resources and Community Partners" to help the students.

UConn outlined some of its policies about the issue in a letter to the university community last week.

However, the school is not providing financial support for any legal services, which the university made clear in a message earlier this month.

"The University cannot devote resources to funding or otherwise supporting what would be considered the personal costs of individual students and employees based on their association with UConn," school officials wrote. "This would be using public resources to provide a private benefit not available to the general public.

"Although the University is prohibited from offering legal representation or financial assistance for legal representation, we remain committed to doing anything we can to support our students, faculty, and staff on this or any issue."