Dear members of the Dartmouth community,
You may have seen media reports over the last few days about international students having their records terminated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), revoking their right to study and work in the U.S.
At this time, we know of two such record terminations within the Dartmouth community. Our Office of Visa and Immigration Services (OVIS) is in direct contact with both individuals, and helped them to connect with legal and other sources of support.
Dartmouth was not notified of the change in their status nor the rationale behind it. OVIS staff discovered the record terminations during a proactive check of the database, which they are conducting multiple times each day. Earlier today, OVIS also sent the message included below to all international students and scholars.
As President Beilock wrote last week, Dartmouth truly is a basecamp to the world, and our international community is fundamental to who we are. We remain committed to supporting our international students and scholars, who directly contribute to the learning and discovery at the heart of our academic mission.
Sincerely,
David Kotz ’86
Provost
Dear international students and scholars,
We are writing to make you aware of an issue involving the termination of SEVIS records and revocations of visas of international students and scholars at U.S. colleges and universities by federal authorities. At this time, it appears that these terminations and revocations are limited in number, and in most cases schools and impacted individuals have not received notification of these actions and have learned of them instead by schools checking the SEVIS database.
OVIS is actively monitoring SEVIS and will immediately email any affected student or scholar in the event we discover the termination of a SEVIS record.
If you receive a notification from the Department of State or the Department of Homeland Security informing you that your visa is being revoked or your SEVIS record terminated, please contact your OVIS advisor right away. It is important that we verify the information in the SEVIS database. We want to be sure that the communication is legitimate and not a scam email sent in an effort to exploit this situation.
OVIS is working with senior leadership at Dartmouth as well as our outside immigration counsel and our professional associations and networks and will provide updates as the situation evolves. On April 4, 2025 the American Council on Education (ACE) along with many other higher education associations sent a letter to the Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security seeking information on the federal government’s policy and planned actions relating to student visa revocations and SEVIS record terminations.
We understand this is a challenging and stressful time. Please know that OVIS, along with many campus partners including the Office of International Student Experience, are here to support you.
Best,
Susan Ellison
Director