KEY POINTS
- US student visa issuance dropped 19.1% in August compared to last year.
- Indian students saw the steepest decline — a 44.5% drop in visas issued.
- Chinese students overtook Indians as the largest group heading to US universities.
WASHINGTON: The United States issued nearly one-fifth fewer student visas in August following a crackdown by President Donald Trump, with the steepest decline recorded among Indian students — who were overtaken by their Chinese students as the largest group heading to American universities, official data showed on Monday.
The United States issued 313,138 student visas in August, the most common start month for US universities, a drop of 19.1 percent from the same month in 2024, according to the International Trade Commission.
India, which last year was the top source of foreign students to the United States, saw the most dramatic drop with 44.5 percent fewer student visas issued than a year earlier.
Visa issuance also dropped for Chinese students but not nearly at the same rate. The United States issued 86,647 visas to students from China in August, more than double the number issued to Indians.
The statistics do not reflect the overall numbers of US-based students, many of whom remain on previously issued visas.
Trump has put a top priority since returning to the White House on curbing immigration.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefly suspended processing of student visas in June, a peak month, as he issued orders that US embassies vet applicants’ social media.
Rubio has revoked thousands of student visas, often due to criticism of Israel, on the grounds that he can refuse entry to people who go against US foreign policy interests.
In rules that affect Indians in particular, the Trump administration has made it more difficult for applicants to apply for visas outside the jurisdiction of the US consulates in their home countries, even if there are backlogs.
Trump has taken a series of actions at odds with India, which for decades had been courted by US policymakers of both parties, which saw the South Asian country as a natural counterweight to China.
Trump has also imposed a hefty new fee on H-1B visas, which are used largely by Indian technology workers.
Trump, however, has voiced hope for ramping up the number of Chinese students to boost relations between the two powers.
