|
The number of US F-1 student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals witnessed a significant decline in 2025 compared with previous years, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which said the reduction could have implications for American students, the labour market and national security.
According to the CIS study, students from India and the People's Republic of China (PRC) accounted for more than half of all international students enrolled at US post-secondary institutions during the 2024-25 academic year. The report compared F-1 visa issuances during the May-August period from 2017 to 2025, while excluding 2020 from the analysis due to the significant decline in visa issuance caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Citing data from the Institute of International Education's (IIE) annual census, the report said India had 363,019 students, and China had 265,919 students in the US during the academic year, together representing 53 per cent of the total 1,177,766 foreign students. The study said that F-1 student visa issuances to nationals of both countries declined sharply during the May-August 2025 period, which typically sees the highest number of student visas issued ahead of the academic year. According to CIS data, the US issued 22,149 F-1 visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025, a decline of 60 per cent from the average number issued during the 2017-19 and 2021-24 periods, when the figure stood at 55,717. The number also marked a 62 per cent decrease from 2024, when 58,694 visas were issued. For Chinese nationals, the number of F-1 visas issued during the same period fell to 40,034 in 2025, down 46 per cent from the 2017-19 and 2021-24 average of 73,853, and 34 per cent lower than the 61,075 visas issued in 2024, the report said. The CIS report noted that it selected the May-August period for comparison, as most F-1 visas are issued during these months in preparation for the upcoming academic year. It added that in 2024, 77 per cent of all F-1 visas issued to Indian nationals and 76 per cent issued to Chinese nationals were granted during this period. The report highlighted the role of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, under which foreign students who complete their degrees can work in the US. According to IIE data cited by CIS, 294,253 foreign students out of more than one million international students in the US during 2024-25 had completed their degrees and were working under OPT. The report said Indian and Chinese nationals accounted for nearly 70 per cent of these OPT participants, with India representing 143,740 participants and China accounting for 61,981. Citing data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), CIS said that of the 165,524 foreign students authorised to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) OPT in 2024, 68 per cent were Indian or Chinese nationals. Indian citizens accounted for 79,331 participants, while Chinese citizens accounted for 33,807. The report argued that reductions in the number of foreign students from India and China could reduce the OPT pipeline and affect the availability of foreign workers entering the US labour market. The CIS report also raised concerns regarding national security, particularly in relation to Chinese students studying in sensitive fields such as STEM. The report alleged that the Chinese government has been pursuing military and technological advancement and said some Chinese students and researchers could face pressure to assist state objectives. It cited remarks by former US officials who have warned about risks related to technology transfer, espionage and intellectual property theft. The report quoted former Trump administration Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Edward Ramotowski as saying in 2018 that "foreign students, often with no nefarious intent in their plan of study in the United States, are later co-opted to work for their government." It also cited former CIA officer Joe Augustyn, who said, "We know without a doubt that anytime a graduate student from China comes to the US, they are briefed when they go, and briefed when they come back." However, the study acknowledged that not all Chinese students come to the US with malicious intent but argued that reducing the number of students from China in sensitive fields could help lower risks related to technology transfer. The report also examined the relationship between OPT and the H-1B visa programme, arguing that OPT has expanded the pool of foreign workers beyond congressionally established H-1B limits. It noted that the H-1B programme has an annual cap of 65,000 visas, with an additional 20,000 exemptions for foreign graduates with advanced US degrees, while OPT has no numerical limit. CIS said that by 2024, the number of foreign nationals working under OPT and STEM OPT had reached 505,590, which it said was comparable to the scale of the H-1B programme. The report argued that reducing reliance on foreign graduates through OPT could benefit American students and workers by creating more opportunities in competitive sectors. (ANI)
|
