US to UAE: What 2025 immigration changes meant for Indian students, workers

Major destinations tightened work rules and student caps in 2025, reshaping options for Indian students and workers. Early planning and clear residency routes will matter in 2026

In 2025, the big story across the US, UK, Canada and Australia was the same: Fewer, richer, higher-skilled, more tightly controlled. For Indians, that translated into a tougher year for “ordinary” students and mid-level workers, but relatively stable or even improved options for top-tier professionals and high net-worth individuals, especially via the UAE.

 

"2025 shifted immigration from volume-driven to merit-driven. Countries are favouring skilled, job-ready applicants over mass student or general work inflows. For Indians, opportunities still exist, but only for those with strong profiles, verified credentials and clear career alignment. Preparation now matters more than aspiration," said Mayank Kumar, CEO & co-founder, BorderPlus.

 

 

Let's take a look at a few countries that changed their policies:

 

United States: Tougher H-1B pipeline and a security-driven chill

 

What changed 

• In September, President Donald Trump introduced a $100,000 fee for new H-1B petitions for most offshore applicants and new lottery entries, calling the programme “abused”.

• The administration also moved towards a new H-1B rule favouring higher-paid roles, tightening rules for third-party placements.

• After the fatal shooting of a National Guard member in Washington by an Afghan asylum recipient, the US halted immigration benefit applications for nationals of 19 countries on the previous travel-ban list and paused asylum decisions for all nationalities.

 

Impact on Indian professionals and skilled workers 

• The $100,000 filing fee directly dents the India-heavy outsourcing and staffing model, making junior H-1B filings far less viable.

• Senior Indians in AI, chip design, cyber security and other specialist areas still have space to apply, but mid-level coders and analysts face far fewer routes.

• Existing Indian H-1Bs in the green card queue continue to face long waits and higher costs, with no change to the backlog.

 

Impact on Indian students 

• The US has not introduced any student visa caps, so the F-1 system remains open.

• The pressure begins after graduation: with rising H-1B costs and tighter scrutiny, the student-to-worker-to-resident path is less stable.

• Security-related freezes add an atmosphere of caution, even though Indians are not directly targeted.

 

United Kingdom: Salary hikes and a clampdown on care workers

 

What changed 

• From 22 July, 2025, the general salary threshold for Skilled Worker visas rose to £41,700.

• Most Skilled Worker jobs now must be at RQF level 6, narrowing options for medium-skilled roles.

• The Health and Care visa no longer accepts new overseas care-worker entrants, and dependant restrictions remain tight.

 

Impact on Indian professionals and skilled workers 

• For many Indian professionals outside London, £41,700 exceeds market pay, leaving some roles unsponsored.

• Indian care workers, who dominated 2022–23 visa figures, are largely prevented from new entry.

• Overall, fewer work visas are issued, and Indians bear a large part of the reduction.

 

Impact on Indian students 

• The Student and Graduate routes remain broadly the same.

• But higher salary thresholds reduce the chances of switching into work visas for those with modest salaries or generalist degrees.

• Students heading into finance, tech and specialist engineering still have viable paths, but others face a tougher transition.

 

Canada: Caps, higher funds and a system reset

 

What changed 

• Canada fixed its 2025 international student cap at 437,000, a 10 per cent cut from 2024. The cap now includes master’s and PhD students.

• From September 1, 2025, single applicants must show C$22,895 in living costs, on top of tuition and travel.

• Reports indicate rising visa refusals, with some estimates suggesting refusal rates of up to 80 per cent for Indian applicants.

 

Impact on Indian students 

• Indians were around 36.5 per cent of all study-permit holders in 2024.

• 2025 saw a sharp fall in new permits due to caps, high financial requirements and aggressive refusals.

• Those who do secure permits are generally better funded and more likely to attend public universities.

 

Impact on Indian workers and professionals 

• Ottawa is lowering targets for new temporary workers under the Temporary Foreign Worker and International Mobility programmes.

• Canada is cooling the old study-work-PR chain, meaning Indians must plan more selectively.

 

Australia: Student caps, processing triage and uneven access

 

What changed 

• Australia moved towards a cap of 270,000 student enrolments for 2025.

• The cap evolved into processing triage under Ministerial Directions MD111 and MD115, giving priority to early allocations for each institution and slowing others.

• By mid-2025, the cap for 2026 was raised to around 295,000, easing pressure slightly.

 

Impact on Indian students 

• South Asian applicants, including Indians, often fall into higher-risk bands, which can mean slower processing and more refusals.

• The cap and triage system make Group of Eight universities more competitive, pushing some students towards regional campuses or VET routes.

• Despite the squeeze, Australia continues to attract large numbers of Indian students.

 

Impact on Indian workers and professionals 

• Skilled migration rules remain relatively steady but favour priority sectors such as healthcare, engineering and tech.

 

UAE: Golden Visa remains the most open route for Indians

 

What changed 

• The UAE Golden Visa continued to offer 5- and 10-year residence for investors, entrepreneurs, skilled professionals and exceptional students.

• Authorities reaffirmed 12 core categories, adding options for nurses, educators, e-sports professionals and luxury yacht owners.

• The UAE publicly corrected viral claims in India about a supposed “lifetime Golden Visa for ₹23 lakh”, saying no such offer exists.

 

Impact on Indian professionals, HNWIs and students 

• For wealthy Indians, founders and senior executives, the UAE offers long-term residence without the obligations of citizenship.

• High-earning professionals use Golden Visas to avoid dependency on one employer, something not possible in the UK or US.

• Indian students in the UAE remain a smaller cohort but value its proximity to India, English-medium education and eventual Golden Visa possibilities if they reach high-earning roles.

 

Big picture for Indians in 2025 

Middle-class squeeze: Caps, higher salary floors and steep fees made it harder for Indians with average savings or mid-level salaries.

Premiumisation of mobility: Systems now favour wealthier or more specialised applicants able to meet tougher thresholds.

Diversification: More Indians looked at New Zealand and continental Europe as alternatives.

Shift to ROI thinking: Families want clear post-study and settlement routes, not just a foreign degree.

 

What will matter most to Indians in 2026? 

"The biggest barriers now are higher salary thresholds, stricter financial proof, student caps and longer settlement timelines. Ambiguity around post-study work rights has added significant risk. Many Indians now struggle not with eligibility alone, but with predictability of long-term outcomes," said Kumar.

 

How Indian students plan to adjust their plans in 2026 

According to Saurabh Arora, founder & CEO, University Living, Indian students are planning earlier and spreading out their options. "More families are now starting their planning cycle 18–24 months before departure, using that time to compare post-study work rules, PR routes and spouse work rights instead of looking only at rankings. The mood is less ‘let us see what happens after we land’ and more ‘let us know the path before we apply’," he said.

 

Arora added that New Zealand shows how this shift is playing out. Indian student numbers there moved from about 1,600 in 2022 to more than 7,000 in 2024. Degree-level graduates can get up to three years of post-study work rights, and annual living costs sit around NZD 20,000–25,000. Students now choose courses that match New Zealand’s Skilled Migrant Category, linking post-study work and PR plans from the start.

 

Europe is also part of this broader strategy. Germany now hosts roughly 50,000 Indian students, with estimates pointing towards 60,000 in 2025, making India its largest source country. Graduates can stay up to 18 months on a job-search permit and then seek the EU Blue Card, which in 2025 requires a salary of €48,300 for most roles and around €43,759.80 in shortage occupations and for new graduates. Low or zero tuition at many public universities, combined with clear salary rules, is drawing more Indian students.

 

France is seeing steady growth as well. Indian student numbers rose from around 6,400 in 2022 to 8,500 in 2024, and France targets 30,000 Indian students by 2030. Its APS route allows Indian graduates to stay and work for up to two years after certain degrees, often alongside tuition under €10,000 a year at public institutions.

 

"Beyond these, students with stronger academic backgrounds are also looking at policy-led options like Dubai and Japan," Arora said.

 

"The UAE’s Golden Visa offers 5- or 10-year residence, with many skilled-professional categories requiring a minimum salary around AED 30,000 per month. Japan’s Specified Skilled Worker status gives up to five years of stay under SSW(1), and SSW(2) can be renewed and used as a pathway to permanent residency for higher-skilled roles. These are not mass routes yet, but they are firmly on the radar for students in engineering, healthcare and tech," he added.

 

Indians may shift towards countries with clearer residency routes in 2026

There is now a visible movement toward destinations that provide predictable, structured work-to-residency routes. Countries such as Australia and Germany offer clearer progression frameworks.

 

Kumar explained:

• Germany, especially for healthcare and skilled workers, is attractive because

• Residency depends on skills and integration, not employer sponsorship,

• The path from work permit to permanent residence is clearly mapped,

• Language proficiency and regulated training provide transparency, and

• Long-term stability is built into the system for those who meet professional standards.

 

"For many Indians, this clarity around career progression, credential recognition and future residency is becoming more important than traditional ‘popular’ destinations," Kumar said.

 

2026: Study abroad as a structured investment

 

"Families will now treat study abroad as a structured investment. Global estimates show that tuition plus living costs can easily cross $50,000 over a multi-year programme in major destinations, once fees, rent and daily expenses are combined. That is why students are synchronising three things together: applications to two or three countries, choice of courses that meet skills-shortage lists, and early moves on housing so that leases line up with expected visa timelines," said Arora.

 

But what Indians must know is that the 2025 policy changes across the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the UAE did not close pathways, said Arora. "They reshaped them to favour applicants who plan early, show readiness and match what each country expects from its international population."