Indian F-1 visa issuances to US hit lowest level since pandemic

India is currently experiencing a severe decline after spearheading the post-pandemic recovery in the number of international students attending American universities.

According to data from the US State Department, the number of F-1 student visas granted to Indians fell 38% in the first nine months of 2024 compared to the same period the previous year.

F-1 visas granted to Indian students have decreased to their lowest level since the pandemic, according to a leading news agency's study of monthly non-immigrant visa statistics found on the Bureau of Consular Affairs' website.

64,008 visas were granted between January and September of this year, which is a significant decrease from 1,03,495 during the same period in 2023.

According to data, 93,181 visas were issued in 2022 and 65,235 visas were issued in 2021 within the same time period.

In the first nine months of 2020, when the pandemic struck, just 6,646 F-1 visas were granted to Indians.

Not only India, visas for Chinese students, who currently make up the second-largest group of foreign students in the United States, have also decreased by a relatively small 8% in 2024.

While the M-1 visa includes vocational and non-academic programs, the F-1 visa is a non-immigrant category for students enrolled in US academic institutions.

The decline in F-1 issuances to Indian students is noteworthy in light of two recent accomplishments by Indians in US higher education.

For the first time, India overtook China in the issue of new student visas for the fiscal year 2022–2023, which ran from Oct 1, 2022, to Sep 30, 2023.

Although China continued to be the greatest source of international students throughout that year, the most recent Open Doors 2024 data shows that Indians surpassed Chinese students as the largest group of international students attending American colleges in 2023–2024.

There were 3,31,000 Indian students in the US in 2023–2024, compared to 2,77,000 Chinese students in the same year according to the Open Doors 2024 study.

Up to 20,000 student visa appointment slots that were allotted for Indian citizens during this year's busiest visa application season (May, June, and July) were reportedly underutilized, however the precise cause of the decline is yet unknown.

According to the study, this suggests a possible change in demand, which is seen as demand leveling off following the post-Covid resurgence.

Another potential explanation for the drop in F-1 visa issuances this year, according to Indian foreign education advisors, is students' concerns about difficulties with visa processing, such as lengthy interview wait times.

Although the US is still a popular destination, more students are looking at other countries including Canada and the UK, according to Vibha Kagzi, CEO of ReachIvy.com.

“The gap between demand and supply of visa slots, combined with stricter interview assessments, could explain the reduced F-1 visa numbers. While the journey from application to visa approval has become more challenging, it is not unachievable,” Kagzi said.

Piyush Kumar, Regional Director for South Asia at IDP Education, said, “There is a greater emphasis by US immigration on attracting high-quality and genuine students, which might explain the gradual decline in approved visas for students applying to less suitable institutions.”

A US State Department official addressed the delays in visa processing, saying that the agency has invested "significant resources to improving wait times in India" and is working to provide its employees with "the tools, resources, and support they need to bring appointment wait times down."

“Wait times do not mean that people are not being issued visas. They simply reflect the extremely high level of demand for a US visa. In fact, some of our busiest visa-issuing posts — including India — have broken visa issuance records in recent years,” the spokesperson said.

“As we increase staffing and take advantage of technology and other innovations to improve processing and reduce interview wait times, we have consistently been able to add visa interview appointments for visitors, students and other visa categories,” the spokesperson added.