Indians hard hit as US student visas decline by a fifth from last year

Indians hard hit as US student visas decline by a fifth from last year

In response to President Donald Trump’s restrictive policies, the number of student visas issued by the United States has decreased by about one-fifth compared to the same one-month period last year.

According to data from the International Trade Commission, the US issued approximately 313, 138 student visas in August, which is a 19.1% decrease from August 2024, when studies typically begin at US universities.

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The decline was 44.5 percent during that time for Indian students, who account for the majority of foreign students studying in the US. Students from China received fewer visas, though at a lower rate.

Iran’s student visas for Iranians dropped by 86 percent in a number of Muslim-majority nations. The proportion of foreign students who are currently enrolled in US universities is not representative of the overall number, many of whom are still on visas.

The Trump administration is using funding to put mounting political pressure on US universities as it pursues a restrictive immigration policy.

In response to US law violations, participation in protests, or in some cases, criticism of Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has revoked thousands of student visas. The targeting has occurred in conjunction with pro-Israel organizations that monitor and monitor university students engaged in pro-Palestine activism.

In order to pass stricter control over student social media profiles, Rubio also imposed a temporary suspension on all student visa processing in June.

Those vetting applications were instructed to look for “any indications of hostility toward the citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles of the United States.”

However, the administration’s message to some nations hasn’t always been consistent.

Trump announced to reporters in August that he planned to accept 600, 000 Chinese students as his plan to study there after initially vowing to restrict access to a sizable portion of Chinese students.

The number of Chinese students studying in the US is now twice that high.

Source: Aljazeera

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