Archive · 7 Aug 2026
US visa tightening cuts Indian F-1 approvals 62%, curbs stays
Many students from India travel to the United States to study at colleges and universities.
To do that, they need a special permission called a student visa.
Recently, the US government made it much harder for Indian students to get this permission.
The number of visas approved for Indian students went down by 62 percent.
The government also changed the rules for how long students can stay in the country.
Before, students could stay for as long as their studies lasted.
Now, most can only stay for up to four years and must ask for more time if their course is longer.
After finishing school, students used to get 60 days to wrap up their time in the US, but now they only get 30.
This matters because many of these students work in technology and science jobs after they graduate.
Fewer visas now could mean fewer Indian students in American classrooms and workplaces in the coming years.
Indian students faced a 62% drop in F-1 visa approvals following tightened US visa rules, according to an analysis by the Centre for Immigration Studies.
India remains the largest source of US international students, with 363,019 enrolled in 2024-25, ahead of China's 265,919.
Indian nationals made up 143,740 of 294,253 OPT participants in 2024-25 and received 79,331 of 165,524 STEM OPT authorizations in 2024.
A Department of Homeland Security rule effective September 15 limits most F-1 students to stays of up to four years, requiring extensions for longer programmes.
The post-graduation grace period was cut from 60 to 30 days, and the OPT programme is under review with proposals to scale it back.
- Who
- Indian and Chinese international students in the United States, affected by policies from the US Department of Homeland Security under the Trump administration.
- What
- A 62% drop in F-1 visa approvals for Indian students, a new four-year stay limit for most F-1 students, and a cut to the post-graduation grace period from 60 to 30 days.
- When
- Enrolment and OPT data cover the 2024-25 academic year; the new stay rules were finalised in July and take effect September 15.
- Where
- United States
- Why
- A broad tightening of US immigration policy for international students under the Trump administration.
- F-1 approval drop for Indian students
- 62%
- Indian students enrolled (2024-25)
- 363,019
- Chinese students enrolled (2024-25)
- 265,919
- Total international students in US
- 1.17 million
- Indian OPT participants (2024-25)
- 143,740 of 294,253
- Indian STEM OPT authorizations (2024)
- 79,331 of 165,524
- New maximum stay for most F-1 students
- Up to 4 years (effective September 15)
- Post-graduation grace period
- Cut from 60 to 30 days