Student Visas Plunge For Indian And Chinese Applicants, Data Shows

India-West News Desk

WASHINGTON, DC- The number of F-1 student visas issued by the United States to nationals of India and China dropped sharply in 2025, according to a new report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), whose author says the trend could affect both the U.S. workforce and national security.

The August 3 report by George Fishman, a senior legal fellow at CIS, examined F-1 visa issuances during the May-August period of 2025, comparing them with previous years while excluding 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report says the U.S. issued 22,149 F-1 visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025, down about 62 percent from the 58,694 issued during the same period a year earlier. Visas granted to Chinese nationals also fell to 40,034, a decline of about 34 percent from 61,075 in 2024.

Fishman noted that most student visas are issued between May and August ahead of the start of the U.S. academic year, making the period a useful measure for year-to-year comparisons.

Drawing on data from the Institute of International Education, the report says India remained the largest source of international students in the United States during the 2024-25 academic year, with 363,019 students, followed by China with 265,919. Together, students from the two countries accounted for more than half of all international enrollments at U.S. colleges and universities.

Fishman said a sustained decline in student visas could shrink participation in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows eligible international students to work in the United States after completing their studies.

According to the report, nearly 294,000 international graduates were working under OPT during the 2024-25 academic year, with Indian and Chinese nationals making up about 70 percent of participants.

Fishman criticized the OPT program, saying it gives employers a financial incentive to hire foreign graduates because companies are exempt from paying certain payroll taxes for workers participating in the program. He also maintained that the program lacks some of the labor protections required under the H-1B visa system.

Fishman said continued declines in student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals would reduce participation in the OPT program and, in China’s case, help address concerns over technology transfer and espionage.

The Center for Immigration Studies is a Washington-based think tank that advocates lower immigration levels and has long supported stricter U.S. immigration policies.