By Greg Hugh
F-1 student visas issued to Chinese nationals fell 34% year-on-year to 40,034 during the May-August 2025 peak season, and Indian issuances dropped 62%, according to a Center for Immigration Studies analysis of State Department data.
The number of US F-1 student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals dramatically fell in 2025 compared with previous years. Washington says the goal is to reduce visa overstays and improve compliance with immigration rules.
US Student Visa: As the number of US student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals fell by a significant margin in 2025, students from several countries recorded growth in visa approvals earlier in the year.
According to the data by education platform ApplyBoard, F-1 student visa issuances in the first half of fiscal 2025 increased for students from countries including Zimbabwe, Pakistan, Colombia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia and Germany.
Zimbabwe recorded the biggest rise at 162%, followed by Pakistan at 44.3%, Colombia at 22.8%, Bangladesh at 20.1%, Vietnam at 20%, Saudi Arabia at 6.8% and Germany at 3.8%.
However, number of US F-1 student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals dramatically fell in 2025 compared with previous years, according to a report by the Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS).
As per the data, US consulates issued 22,149 F-1 student visas to Indian nationals between May and August 2025, marking 62% decline compared with the 58,694 visas issued during the same period in 2024.
The report noted that the May-August period is closely watched because most student visas are issued before the start of the academic year, making it a key indicator of international student enrolment trends.
According to the report, visas issued to students from China also saw a 34 per cent decline to 40,034 in 2025 when compared with 61,075 travel documents issued the previous year.
In the 2024-25 academic year, as many as 363,019 students from India and 265,919 from China made up 53 per cent of all foreign students (1,177,766) at the post-secondary level, according to the annual census by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
“Of the more than one million foreign students in the US during the 2024/25 academic year, fully one-quarter (294,253) had already completed their degrees and were working in the US pursuant to ‘Optional Practical Training’ (OPT),” the report said, quoting the IIE census.
It said that of the total number of students working under the OPT program in 2024-25, 49 per cent (143,740) were from India, followed by 21 per cent or 61,981 from China.
According to the Institute of International Education’s 2024-25 census, 363,019 Indian students and 265,919 Chinese students were enrolled at US post-secondary institutions. Together, they accounted for 53 per cent of the 1,177,766 international students in the country.
The CIS report, authored by senior legal fellow George Fishman, also examined the role of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows eligible foreign students to work in the US after completing their studies.
Nearly 294,253 foreign students were working in the US under OPT during the 2024-25 academic year, according to figures cited by the report. Of them, 143,740 were from India and 61,981 from China, meaning students from the two countries accounted for nearly 70 per cent of OPT participants.
Fishman has advocated ending the OPT program, arguing that reducing the flow of foreign students into the program would protect employment opportunities and wages for American students and workers.
“I have advocated for the termination of OPT in order to protect the wages and employment opportunities of American students and workers; and 2) end the George W. Bush and Obama administrations’ disgraceful use of the OPT program to subvert the will of Congress,” Fishman said.
- Why is this happening?
There appear to be several overlapping causes, rather than simply a loss of interest in American universities:
- More restrictive U.S. visa processing
- Student visa interviews were temporarily paused in 2025.
- Screening and vetting became more extensive.
- Visa appointments and processing capacity were disrupted.
- Greater uncertainty about life after graduation
For many Indian and Chinese students, the attraction of a U.S. degree has historically included the possibility of working in America afterward through OPT, and potentially moving into an H-1B job. Increasing uncertainty surrounding OPT and H-1B rules makes the overall U.S. proposition less attractive.
- A broader change in America’s message to international students
The Trump administration has increasingly emphasized immigration enforcement and tighter controls. New rules announced this year would also limit many F-1 students to a four-year period of authorized stay rather than allowing their status to continue for the duration of their academic program.
- Students have alternatives
Canada, the UK, Australia and other countries are competing aggressively for international students. If students perceive the U.S. as unpredictable, some will simply choose another destination.
The China angle is particularly interesting
The 28% decline for Chinese students is significant, but considerably smaller than India’s 56.6% decline in the broader 2025 data.
That suggests we should be cautious about interpreting the numbers as simply “Chinese students no longer want to study in America.” There are U.S.-China geopolitical tensions, but Chinese families also consider tuition costs, Chinese economic conditions, U.S. employment prospects, safety, politics and the attractiveness of competing universities abroad.
And there is a potentially important long-term consequence: China and India together accounted for more than half of international students at U.S. postsecondary institutions in 2024–25.
So this isn’t merely a visa statistic. It could affect American universities, scientific research, technology, local economies and ultimately U.S. global competitiveness.
Regardless of your interest in U.S.-China relations, I think the more interesting question is: Is this decline temporary because of the Trump administration’s policies, or is it the beginning of a long-term shift away from the United States as the preferred destination for Chinese students? That distinction is quite important.