“That review was prompted by media reports about visas being revoked for students at other universities around the country,” said the announcement. “GVSU has not been contacted by DHS about the reasons for the visa revocations.”

In the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on immigration, the federal government has prompted nearly 150 student visas to be revoked, often without any warning or notice to either the students or their universities. Just this week, Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan discovered the visas of several current and former students had suddenly been revoked by DHS. This forces students to either reapply for a visa or flee the country, which one University of Michigan student already has. GVSU now joins the growing list of affected institutions. 

Padnos International Center has contacted the two students in an effort to “offer care and appropriate support,” but the University has not shared any further details. Students and families with questions were pointed toward International Student Services. 

GVSU enrolls over 600 international students per semester from over 60 different countries, making up 2.8% of the student body. While the announcement iterated international students’ place in the campus community, additional student visas may now be under threat in the face of the current administration. 

“International students have been part of GVSU’s campus community since 1963,” the same statement read. “They are welcome here and contribute much to the vitality of our campus.”

This is a developing story, and will continue to be monitored by the Lanthorn.

The bill was proposed by former Senator Immaculata James, who graduated in December 2024. James was appointed to the international student seat, a newly minted position, following the Senate’s restructuring in 2024.

“Senator James was already incredibly passionate about helping the international student community in any way she could,” said Senate Chair of Policy Alec Palumbo.

There are 600 international students at GVSU. Palumbo said the bill will further welcome students to campus, no matter where they come from, and provide a safe space to connect with others.

“Supporting international students is one of the most important ways to establish a rich culture of inclusion, in which we all feel the benefits,” Palumbo said. 

James was inspired by a previous University program that used to focus on hosting gatherings for those who remained on campus. In past years, the program provided a space for international students to connect with one another when many students went home. Over the Fall 2024 semester, James communicated with other Michigan universities that have similar programs in order to compile the bill. From introduction to editing, James’ bill went through the regular policymaking process.

“One week is used to introduce the bill, answer questions and consider constructive criticism from our members,” Palumbo said. “The next week, the Student Senate body is allowed to vote on the bill. After (that’s) done, the bill is directly charged to the University Academic Senate, which is responsible for considering ways to implement bills across campus.”

Siddhartha Poudel, a senior international student from Nepal, noted the bill means a lot to him.

“It signifies that the University is finally taking action to support international students who can’t go home for American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Poudel. “Many international students face difficulties during the holidays, as they are the only ones that stay on campus.”

Poudel remembers spending Christmas 2023 on campus with two international friends. They made the most of their time by cooking meals that reminded them of home, and spending time together. However, with most students not at the University, Poudel said their group felt isolated.

“With no family nearby and no one else on campus, we felt isolated and vulnerable,” Poudel said. “Being so far from home heightened our feelings of homesickness, especially when we saw pictures of our American friends with their families, reminding us of what we were missing.”

Poudel is hopeful the bill will provide international students with on-campus programming over academic breaks.

“As someone who has been actively involved in the international community at Grand Valley, I feel incredibly happy and proud that Student Senate is, once again, advocating for us and striving to make the lives of international students better than before.”

“There’s two kinds of components to the program and one is the Entrepreneur in Residence Program, which allows for an international person to apply to be hired at Grand Valley at about 10 hours a week,” said Rachel Becklin, career advisor and internship specialist at GVSU. “Through that, they would be able to work on developing their company or business, whatever that is that they are creating outside of those work hours, which gives them some time and space to apply for the appropriate visas to help them stay and establish that organization.”

However, the expansion of the Global Talent Retention Initiative component of the new partnership is likely to create the biggest benefit to undergraduate international students at GVSU. Through increased development of the partnership, connections will be created between local corporations and students abroad in hopes of increasing West Michigan’s Talent Recruitment power. 

For international students to accept an internship in America, they must apply for Curricular Practical Training (CPT), which would give them the legal ability to attend school and work an internship. This process can be confusing for employers and students, prompting the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce’s move to serve as a link between local businesses, Global Detroit and GVSU.

“The chamber is going to help to connect the employers to Global Detroit to provide education and training on what that (CPT) looks like from an employment standpoint and they also provide professional development and training for international students looking to apply for these opportunities,” Becklin said.

The impact of the new partnership will continue to play out in the coming months. GVSU is excited and optimistic about what the future holds. 

“GVSU is excited to work with the Chamber and Global Detroit to ensure international students and entrepreneurs are part of the region’s business community and talent pipeline,” GVSU President Philomena Mantella said in a press conference. “In partnership, we will work to support them in ways that build equity, prosperity and growth.”

This partnership is rolling into the fall semester alongside one of GVSU’s biggest classes for both international students and incoming freshmen. Last week, the Padnos International Center welcomed nearly 200 new international students to both GVSU and Michigan, according to the center’s Assistant Director Liz Montoya.

“We’re so excited at the possibility of increasing the opportunities and the pipelines for our international students to work,” Montoya said. “A lot of international students already work for Dematic, they work for Meijer, they have those opportunities already but to build on those and expand them is really the goal.”

The new partnership seeks to build upon the work already being done at GVSU. The university is already working to provide both international students and undergraduate students with career opportunities and internships while advising students on the legal logistics of entering the workforce. 

“Even while applying for internships, GVSU was very helpful in guiding me with all the forms,” international student Aruna Karkee said. “When I’m back home I don’t have to worry about all the forms because I know the things, but here I was very worried about what it could be and everything was new to me.” 

In order to make the process of obtaining an internship accessible for all students at GVSU, the university offers a number of internship coordinators and advisors. Karkee’s internship coordinator, Quincy Williams, was a reassuring presence throughout her applications.

“I was quite confused to take that journey, because what if something was wrong in the forms, what if I’m liable to something, but Quincy helped me on the process,” Karkee said.