Breaking News!

The U.S. State Department announced on

December 10th that it has revoked 85,000 visas, including over 8,000 student visas, doubling compared to last year. For families of international students, this is a bolt from the blue—full of anticipation to set off, only to find everything falling apart at the last moment.

Some may think it's just a visa, and they can always reapply or switch to another country. But the reality is far from simple. These children who received offers from U.S. universities have spent countless sleepless nights studying, and parents have drained their savings to afford the costs.

Many families, in order to scrape together this amount, have pulled out retirement funds and down payments for homes, with some even borrowing money, all hoping their children can go abroad to learn something and secure a good future.

But the visa can be revoked just like that, rendering all previous efforts in vain, and most of the money spent is lost, which is a disaster for ordinary families.

What’s even more infuriating is that this revocation seems to lack reason. The U.S. authorities only state it is “for security reasons,” but there are often no clear explanations for why visas are revoked or how decisions are made.

It is said that nearly half of the revoked visas are due to violations such as drunk driving, fighting, and theft, but what about the rest? Especially those over 8,000 student visas, many of these children have never committed any crimes and have been randomly stripped of their qualifications.

Some were misjudged as “illegal stay” simply because the review of their visa extension materials was slow; others were even more unjustly treated—just for sharing international news or commenting on trending events on WeChat or foreign social platforms, they were labeled as having “sensitive tendencies,” leading to their visas being invalidated directly.

What’s worse is that many people didn’t even receive prior notice; they might be in class or preparing for exams and suddenly receive notification that their visas are gone, even facing the risk of deportation, with hardly any chance to appeal. This process clearly reflects injustice.

As for “reapplying,” it’s a naive assumption. The visa review process in the U.S. is now stricter than ever; it’s no longer the case that simply submitting materials guarantees approval.

Not only do applicants need to provide all social media accounts from the past five years, but they also have to disclose WeChat and Weibo accounts, and if any account is set to private, it will be considered as “trying to hide information,” leading to a rejection.

The review standards are particularly vague; no one knows which words or reposts might cross the line. The approval rate for reapplying is frighteningly low, especially for those in so-called “sensitive majors” like engineering, science, and social sciences, where rejection rates are nearing 30%.

Even if one is lucky enough to pass, it’s not a one-time solution. The U.S. has implemented “continuous review,” monitoring all 55 million visa holders, whether inside or outside the country, and as soon as there’s a hint of “potential risk,” like suspected overstaying, the visa can be revoked, which is unbearable for anyone.

As for “switching countries,” it sounds simple, but in reality, it’s as difficult as climbing to the sky. Applying to foreign universities requires targeted preparation; switching countries means needing to retake language tests, prepare materials that meet the new school’s requirements, and wait for application results. This entire process takes at least half a year, and one cannot catch up with the start of the school year, leaving the child stuck at home—how can this lost time be made up?

Moreover, all the agency fees, exam fees, and application fees spent previously on applying to U.S. schools are wasted; how can ordinary families afford to go through it all again? Even if they manage to gather enough money and have the time, policies in other countries are also changing; it’s not as easy as just switching. In the end, they might find themselves in a situation where “not getting to the U.S. means being delayed elsewhere.”

By doing this, the U.S. claims it is for “safety,” but the underlying motive is all calculation. Some say this is a political maneuver aimed at pleasing voters by portraying international students as “job-stealing outsiders” and “potential threats,” making it seem like they are very concerned about security issues.

Others see through this and realize it is an attempt to undermine U.S. colleges; those prestigious schools have never been friendly with conservatives. By revoking visas and reducing international students, it can cut off tuition revenue and weaken the colleges' influence.

What’s more insidious is that many outstanding international students in STEM fields come from China; limiting their visas fundamentally aims to obstruct the development of talent in other countries. This approach of using education as a political tool is shortsighted and selfish.

However, the U.S. is not benefiting from this either. International students’ tuition accounts for 12% of total revenue for U.S. colleges. If visa policies remain this strict, the number of international students enrolling next fall could drop by 30-40%, putting many tuition-dependent liberal arts colleges at risk of closure.

Surrounding industries such as dining, accommodation, and retail will also be affected, potentially leading to the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. More importantly, the U.S. has always relied on an open education system to attract global talent, and now, with this approach, excellent students are starting to move to countries like Germany, Canada, and Singapore, which have more stable policies. This will inevitably affect the U.S.’s research and innovation capabilities—it's essentially self-sabotage.

The most unfortunate are those ordinary international student families; they have not offended anyone and just want their children to learn more, yet they have become victims of others' political games.

The youth of the children is wasted, the family savings have been drained, and future plans are all disrupted. This kind of grievance and despair cannot be understood by those who have not experienced it. The U.S. claims to be open and inclusive, but the actions it is taking now are all about building walls, blocking goodwill and talent at the door.

Ultimately, each of the 85,000 revoked visas represents the hard work and hopes of a family. The U.S. uses “safety” as an excuse, but what it is doing is harming ordinary people—this is neither fair nor ethical.

Those who advise others to “try again or switch places” are completely out of touch; unless one has experienced the torment of sleepless nights studying or the weight of draining savings, they should refrain from making such light remarks. This is, from start to finish, an unwarranted disaster for families of international students, and it is truly heartbreaking.