Indian Students Face 76% US Visa Drop in 2025
US State Department data shows a 34% drop in F-1 visa issuance in 2025, including a 76% decline for Indian students compared to 2023.
US State Department data shows a 34% drop in F-1 visa issuance in 2025, including a 76% decline for Indian students compared to 2023.
The decline is larger than experts in India had anticipated, according to Sanjay Laul, founder of MSM Unify education agency, who has been tracking interview capacity and processing predictability for over a year.
Visa Issuance Decline
The data revealed that less than half the number of F-1 visas were issued in June 2025 compared to the previous year, reflecting the impact of a near month-long visa interview suspension. Among Indian students, visa issuance fell by 60% during this period.
| Country | % Drop in F-1 Issuance (2023-2025) |
|---|---|
| United States overall | 34% |
| India | 76% |
| China | 37% |
| South Korea | 45% |
Laul said that the 76% drop in one market over two years was “not a market cooling, that’s a pipeline nearly shutting off for a stretch of months.” He added that applicant interest did not fall “anywhere close to that rate” across his network.
Capacity and Processing Issues
ForeignAdmits founder Nikhil Jain echoed Laul’s view, noting that visa slots were scarce and rejections high. “The slots were not available on time and were available in very few quantities, and at the same time rejections are high right now,” Jain said.
Jain also highlighted that the freeze or slowdown during peak season disproportionately affected markets with concentrated demand, such as India, which sends more F-1 applicants through a smaller number of intake windows.
Student Demand and Alternatives
Despite the visa bottleneck, students and families remain attentive. Jain reported that undergraduate and MBA students are still looking at the US but are applying to more countries as backup options. Declines were most evident among master’s students weighing post-study work opportunities, who are increasingly going elsewhere.
EdWise founder Sushil Sukhwani identified Singapore, New Zealand, France and Germany as beneficiaries of the trend, attracting greater interest from Indian students. He said the growth of these emerging destinations cannot compensate for the decline across the “big four.”
Sukhwani also cited the perception of the US as unwelcoming, driven by policy mishandling such as the pausing of Curricular Practical Training (CPT) programs and the incoming ending of duration of status.
Impact on US Institutions
Sukhwani noted that the unpredictability of visa refusals and scarcity of appointments, partly due to agents using bots to book as many as 90% of available slots, creates inconsistency in visa decisions. He mentioned an IIT Bombay student with a scholarship to attend a top university still having their visa rejected.
Laul warned that even if processing stabilises, the share of Indian students would become structurally harder to win back. He advised US colleges to “diversity within India, not just beyond it,” focusing on underserved tier two and tier three cities where interest remains.
