Five current and two former UB students’ legal immigration status was reinstated by the federal government Friday, restoring their ability to live, study and work in the U.S. just over two weeks after the federal government suddenly terminated their legal statuses.
University officials confirmed Friday that those current and former students’ records were reinstated in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, a database through which the federal government provides information on international students to colleges and universities.
In addition to confirming the restorations, university officials told The Spectrum that a total of 17 students have been affected by the terminations — four more than the previously reported number. Seven of the 17 are currently enrolled at UB, and 10 are recent graduates.
The reinstatements come as the Trump administration moves to reverse hundreds of its more than 1,500 revocations, following a wave of lawsuits from the affected students, and dozens of federal restraining orders blocking deportations.
At UB, several international students filed lawsuits contesting their immigration status revocations, several of which were connected to traffic violations.
Among those is Kiran Manjunatha, a recent UB graduate employed by Citibank whose visa was revoked over a 2021 traffic stop. At the time, Manjunatha was charged with a misdemeanor for driving without a valid license, after he rented a car with his Indian driver’s license, following the advice of the car-rental agent. The criminal case was later dismissed, and Manjunatha continued to be admitted to the U.S. under his F-1 visa, most recently in February.
UB officials told The Spectrum the university is advising the affected students on their academic plans and immigration statuses.
“We are grateful to the many colleagues across the University at Buffalo who have expressed their concern and support for our international students,” the officials said in a statement. “Many students have shared their positive experiences of outreach and support from members of the UB community.”
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor and can be reached at mylien.lai@ubspectrum.com.
Mylien Lai is the senior news editor at The Spectrum. Outside of getting lost in Buffalo, she enjoys practicing the piano and being a bean plant mom. She can be found at @my_my_my_myliennnn on Instagram.
