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US student visa approvals for Indian applicants plunge 62% in 2025 admissions season
US consulates issued only 22,149 F‑1 student visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025, a 62 % drop from the 58,694 visas granted in the same period in 2024. By contrast, Chinese applicants received 40,034 visas, down 34 % from 61,075 the previous year.
Despite the decline, India remained the largest source of international students in the United States, with 363,019 Indian enrolments in the 2024‑25 academic year compared with 265,919 from China. Together, students from the two countries accounted for more than half of the 1.17 million international students on US campuses.
Indian graduates also dominate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, with 143,740 Indian participants—about 49 % of all OPT workers—during the 2024‑25 year. Analysts warned that the sharp visa reduction could curb future enrolments, limit the flow of international graduates into the US labour market, and fuel immigration‑policy debates.
The downturn is linked to tighter Trump‑era immigration rules, including a shift from a flexible “duration‑of‑status” system to a fixed admission period, a reduction of the post‑graduation grace period from 60 to 30 days, and stricter requirements for changing schools or programmes.
Entities
Centre for Immigration Studies · China · India · Institute of International Education · Optional Practical Training (OPT) program · Trump administration · United States
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 4 SOURCES] US consulates issued 22,149 F‑1 visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [DISPUTED] The 22,149 Indian visas represent a 62 % decline from 58,694 visas issued in the same period in 2024. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [DISPUTED] US consulates issued 40,034 F‑1 visas to Chinese nationals between May and August 2025, a 34 % decline from 61,075 in 2024. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] The visa decline is linked to Trump‑era immigration rule changes, including a shift from a flexible duration‑of‑status system to a fixed admission period, a reduction of the post‑graduation grace from news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [DISPUTED] Indian students accounted for more than half of the 1.17 million international students in US higher education. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] 265,919 Chinese students enrolled in US colleges and universities in the 2024‑25 academic year. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] 363,019 Indian students enrolled in US colleges and universities in the 2024‑25 academic year. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com
- [● 4 SOURCES] 143,740 Indian graduates were working under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in 2024‑25, about 49 % of all OPT participants. samacharnama.com · www.loktej.com · news24online.com · www.dnaindia.com