A US federal court has ruled in favour of an Indian F-1 student whose visa status was terminated. The decision came in the case of Patel v. Lyons on 27th February, delivering a strong rebuke to immigration authorities.
Akshar Patel, an F-1 student, had his SEVIS status revoked by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. He is a student of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The revocation occurred after ICE launched the Student Criminal Alien Initiative in 2025. Under this programme, details of 1.3 million international students were run through the Federal Bureau of Investigation NCIC database.
ICE terminated SEVIS records of students whose names appeared in the database. Patel’s visa was revoked due to a dismissed 2018 speeding arrest, for which he was never convicted.
ICE revoked Patel’s SEVIS record without prior notice, despite the case having been dismissed. Patel then filed a lawsuit and obtained a temporary restraining order against ICE.
Only after this did ICE restore his SEVIS record and request the court to dismiss the restraining order. The court allowed Patel to challenge the revocation under the Administrative Procedure Act.
The court observed that ICE failed to prove it would not terminate Patel’s SEVIS again once the restraining order was lifted. It also ruled that ICE ignored key facts, noting that a dismissed charge does not amount to a violent crime.
The judgment criticised mass database sweeps and stressed that agencies must follow proper legal procedures. The ruling serves as a strong reminder against arbitrary immigration actions.
This case sets an important precedent for international students in the US. It offers some relief from the fear of deportation over minor or dismissed past offences.
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