Statsguru: Indian students caught in crosshairs of tighter US visa rules

The US Department of State on June 18 released a directive requiring visa applicants to adjust their social media privacy settings from private to public. This was to help the department assess whether those entering the US posed any threat to the country. A similar advisory was republished on June 30 by the US Embassy and consulates in India, raising concern, particularly among Indian students, as the guideline could potentially lead to visa denials if applicants were flagged during the screening process. Between FY16 and FY25, 1 million to 1.3 million non-immigrant Indians – those travelling on a temporary basis – travelled to the US for various purposes. While the share of business and tourism visas was the highest, employment, dependency, combined transit, and student were some other major visa categories.

 

The share of Indians receiving non-immigrant visas in the total number of such visas issued by the US rose from FY16 to FY23, except in the Covid-hit years, before slightly declining in FY24 and the first eight months of FY25. In contrast, the share of immigrant visas granted to Indians saw a fluctuation during the period (Chart 1).

 

 

The share of business and tourism visas in total US approvals to Indians rose from FY23 to FY25 (October-May). In contrast, the shares of four other major visa categories saw a decline in the past three years. Among them, the F1 visa — granted for full-time academic study in the US — saw the sharpest drop (Chart 2).

 

 

Indians and Chinese have consistently accounted for the biggest proportion of F1 student visas. The share of F1 visas issued to Indians in total F1 visas grew gradually from 13.3 per cent in FY16 to 13.8 per cent in FY20 before peaking at 29.3 per cent in FY23 and declining sharply to 15.7 per cent in FY25 (Chart 3).

 

 

Among the different student visa types – F1, J1, and M1 – the share of F1 was the largest among Indian students from FY23 to FY25 (October-May), followed by J1 and M1 (Chart 4).

 

 

The waiting time for US visas for Indian students is shorter than that for students from many other countries. Visa wait time refers to the period between applying for a visa and receiving it. While Indian applicants typically wait for around two months, applicants from Bangladesh and Nigeria face longer wait times of 9 months and 4 months, respectively (Chart 5).

 

 

The US remains the most preferred destination for Indian students. The country-wise split of Indian students studying abroad shows that the US’ share increased from 23.3 per cent in 2018 to 26.9 per cent in 2024. While Canada’s share declined from 19.8 per cent to 18.1 per cent during the same period, the UK’s grew significantly from 4.6 per cent to 13 per cent (Chart 6).