United States Plans New Visa Restrictions for Indian Students
Under the proposed policy, students holding F-1 visas would generally be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum of four years. Students requiring additional time to complete their studies would need to obtain approval from the DHS for an extension before their authorized stay expires.
Washington: More than 300,000 Indian students studying in the United States, along with millions of other international students, could soon face major changes under a proposed new US immigration policy.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed ending the long-standing “Duration of Status” system and replacing it with a fixed period of stay for international students.
Under the proposed policy, students holding F-1 visas would generally be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum of four years. Students requiring additional time to complete their studies would need to obtain approval from the DHS for an extension before their authorized stay expires.
The same rules would also apply to participants in the J-1 exchange visitor programme and certain other visa categories. However, the proposal would require approval from the US Congress before it can be implemented.
According to the US government, the proposed changes are aimed at strengthening oversight of the visa system and enhancing national security. Universities and educational institutions, however, have expressed concerns that the policy could create difficulties for thousands of international students enrolled in academic programmes that typically take more than four years to complete.
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According to the Open Doors 2024 report, more than 331,000 Indian students were studying in the United States during the 2023-24 academic year, accounting for nearly 30 percent of the country’s international student population. A significant number of these students are pursuing PhD programmes, research-based master’s degrees, medical training, engineering research, and other long-duration courses.
Under the new proposal, students whose legal period of stay expires without receiving an extension in time could be considered out of status or unlawfully present in the country, even if delays were caused by administrative processing or document verification procedures.
Meanwhile, a report by The Wall Street Journal claimed that the Trump administration is also considering a proposal requiring Green Card applicants to deposit $100,000 (approximately Rs 96 lakh) as a security bond during the processing period.
If approved, applicants would be required to maintain the deposit until their Green Card application is finalized, after which the amount would be refunded upon approval.
Experts believe that Indian nationals could be among the most affected by the proposal, as more than one million Indians are currently waiting for Green Cards, while the United States issues only around 9,800 Green Cards annually to Indian applicants under existing country-specific quotas.
