Department of State Announces Plan to Revoke Student Visas of Chinese Nationals

On May 28, 2025, the Department of State (DOS) announced in its press release, “New Visa Policies Put America First, Not China”, of its plan to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.” In addition, the DOS announced that it will be revising the visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from China and Hong Kong. 

What this Means for our Clients

At the time of this alert, neither the DOS nor the DHS has provided information on when and how this policy will be implemented, or whether it will impact the nonimmigrant status of Chinese students currently in the United States. Typically, a visa revocation by the DOS does not automatically terminate a person’s lawful status in the United States and only requires a person to reapply for a visa at the US Embassy if the person travels internationally.  Until we have further clarification on the Administration’s new policy, we advise persons from China or Hong Kong in F, M, or J student status to avoid departing the United States. 

We will provide updates as more information becomes available.