- F-1 student visas issued to Indian nationals fell 60% in May–August 2025 compared to the prior eight-year average
- Indian and Chinese students together make up 53% of all foreign students at US post-secondary institutions
- The sharp decline has reignited debate over Optional Practical Training and national security risks tied to Chinese student enrolment
The number of F-1 student visas the United States issued to nationals of India and China fell sharply between May and August 2025, according to data from the State Department and analysis by the Centre for Immigration Studies.
Visas issued to Indian nationals during that four-month window came to 22,149, a 60 per cent drop from the 2017–2024 average of 55,717 (excluding 2020, when Covid-19 disrupted processing).
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That figure also represents a 62 per cent decline from the 58,694 visas issued over the same period in 2024.
The drop for Chinese nationals was similarly steep: 40,034 visas were issued, down 46 per cent from the eight-year average of 73,853 and 34 per cent lower than the 61,075 recorded in 2024.
The May-to-August window was used for the comparison because it accounts for the bulk of annual F-1 issuance. In 2024, 77 per cent of all F-1 visas issued to Indian nationals and 76 per cent of those issued to Chinese nationals were processed during this period.
Scale of Foreign Student Enrolment
According to the Institute of International Education’s 2024/25 annual census, a total of 1,177,766 foreign students were enrolled at the post-secondary level in the US. Indian nationals accounted for 363,019 of those, or 31 per cent, while students from the People’s Republic of China numbered 265,919, making up 23 per cent. Together, the two nationalities represent more than half of all international students in the country.
Beyond enrolment figures, one in four foreign students, totalling 294,253, had already completed their degrees but remained in the US under Optional Practical Training, a programme that allows F-1 visa holders to work for US employers after graduation. Of those, 70 per cent were Indian (143,740) or Chinese (61,981) nationals.
OPT, H-1B, and National Security Concerns
Under the STEM-OPT extension, graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can work in the US for up to 36 months. Immigration and Customs Enforcement figures from 2024 show that 68 per cent of the 165,524 STEM-OPT participants were Indian or Chinese citizens.
Critics of the programme argue it places American graduates at a disadvantage. Because F-1 holders on OPT are classified as students by the IRS even after completing their degrees, their employers are not required to pay federal payroll taxes for Social Security and Medicare, saving roughly 7.65 per cent in labour costs per worker compared with hiring American graduates.
According to US Rapid Response, on the security side, analysts have raised concerns about the concentration of Chinese students in STEM fields. A staff report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission noted that Chinese President Xi Jinping has “made clear that overseas Chinese students and scholars are key to his plans to transform China into an innovative and militarily formidable world power.”
Former CIA officer Joe Augustyn has 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.”
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US announces new visa rules
Legit.ng earlier reported that the United States has outlined key reasons why visa applications may be denied, reminding Nigerians and other foreign applicants that meeting the basic application requirements does not automatically guarantee visa approval.
In updated guidance published by the U.S. Department of State, the agency explained that every visa application is assessed individually under U.S. immigration laws, with consular officers making the final decision after reviewing an applicant’s eligibility.
Source: Legit.ng