UC Berkeley international students advised not to leave the U.S. amid immigration turmoil
International students, faculty, and staff at UC Berkeley are being advised not to travel out of the country given recent changes to immigration policy, according to the Berkeley International Office.
"Current U.S. Immigration policy is unpredictable and subject to rapid change," the advisory issued by the BIO states. "If you are currently maintaining a student, scholar or employee immigration status in the U.S. and you depart, BIO cannot guarantee your ability to return to the U.S. in a timely manner, which could have an impact on your U.S. visa status."
Several students at UC Berkeley's International House, which is a multicultural residential center on campus, said they received an email notifying them of the travel advisory.
Xiangrui, who moved to the U.S. from China in 2019 on a student visa, recently started his doctorate program at UC Berkeley.
"For now, I will just stay in California," he said on Monday.
While Xiangrui is allowed to stay and study in the U.S., he's unsure if he'll be allowed to reenter if he leaves. While Xiangrui's Form I-20 is still valid, his F-1 student visa has expired.
A Form I-20 is a certificate of eligibility proving someone has been admitted to an approved school.
Someone with an expired F-1 visa is allowed to stay in the U.S. as long they maintain student status, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
However, if someone is returning home where automatic revalidation does not apply -- including China -- ICE states a valid visa is required to return.
"If I need to renew it, I need to leave and come back. For Chinese nationals, sometimes they will do background checks and only give me a visa for one year, which is not quite worth it," Xiangrui said. "It's a complicated issue [with] the current political climate, especially... I just feel a bit frustrated, but [I'm] still okay, because I can still study."
BIO declined an interview with CBS News Bay Area.
