Indian student enrollments at U.S. universities have suffered badly, with Hyderabad-based education consultants seeing a whopping 70% decline in outbound traffic.
This drastic reduction is being chalked up to delay in visa appointments over an extended period and an unexpected spike in rejection rates under the existing U.S. administration's changing policies regarding international students.
“Normally, by now, most students would have completed their visa interviews and be making travel plans,” said Sanjeev Rai of Hyderabad Overseas Consultant in a statement to the Times of India. “But this year, we’re stuck refreshing the portal daily, hoping for a slot to open. It’s the worst we’ve seen in years.”
In spite of previous promises by U.S. officials that visa interview appointment times would be opened in phases, the lack of transparency has further raised student anxiety. For many students who do succeed in getting an appointment, they are left uncertain with no confirmation, says Window Overseas Education Consultancy's Ankit Jain. He suspects these unconfirmed slots could be a system test by U.S. officials.
This persistent ambiguity is compelling numerous students to explore different locales for tertiary education. A 23-year-old student, who had originally applied to a U.S. program, said, "I simply could not afford to wait anymore and risk losing a year. It was a dead end, so I withdrew and am now thinking about Germany for a master's in automotive engineering."
The mood is shared by Arvind Manduva of consultancy firm I20 Fever, who cautioned that the situation could jeopardize the academic ambitions of thousands unless visa appointments are made available in a timely manner. "We have witnessed nearly an 80% drop. The panic calls from students and their parents are still continuous," he said.
Adding to the woes is an unprecedented jump in visa rejections—ranging even to applicants who had booked interview appointments months ahead. "People who would have sailed through in earlier times are being rejected. Their online records were spotless, and yet they're being offered the 214B reason," said Jain.
Section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act in the United States enables visa officials to deny visas if the applicant cannot demonstrate strong connections with his or her home country, which makes the person's intention to return after visiting questionable.
Ravi Lothumalla, of Dallas-based immigration consulting firm US Admission, said the 214B provision was not new, but its enforcement has been tightened only in recent times. "The rules have been there always, but the screening is tighter now," he said.
As a reply to the increasing complaints, the U.S. Consulate General in Hyderabad recently made an announcement that visa slots are available again and advised applicants to continuously check official websites for the same. According to a spokesman, "We are committed to vetting visa applicants carefully to make sure they pose no danger to the U.S. and that they comply with all eligibility requirements. We suggest applying early and giving time for extra processing, particularly for student visa categories.
In spite of last year's record figures—when India overtook China to send more than 3.3 lakh students to the U.S.—current trends indicate a dramatic change. Ministry of External Affairs statistics indicate that on January 1, 2024, there were over 11.6 lakh Indian students studying abroad, with Europe becoming an increasingly rising destination.
Read also| Trump Calls for Release of ‘Credible’ Epstein Documents to the Public
