81% Of Indian Students Plan To Return After Studying Abroad: Why The US Route Is Changing

Fo
yea s,
the
US
offe ed
I dia
stude ts
a
fai ly
familia
p opositio :
study
at
a
Ame ica
u ive sity,
gai
wo k
expe ie ce
th ough
Optio al
P actical
T ai i g
(OPT),
a d,
fo
those
who
qualified,
t y
to
t a sitio
to
a
H-1B
visa
a d
build
a
lo ge -te m
ca ee
i
the
cou t y.

That
pathway
is
becomi g
less
p edictable.

At
the
same
time,
a
la ge
majo ity
of
I dia
stude ts
pla i g
to
study
ab oad
say
they
do
ot
ecessa ily
see
a
fo eig
deg ee
as
a
ticket
to
pe ma e t
mig atio .
Acco di g
to
the
thi d
Stude t
Global
Mobility
I dex
(SGMI)
published
by
Oxfo d
I te atio al,
81
pe
ce t
of
I dia
stude ts
who
pla
to
study
ab oad
expect
to
etu
to
I dia
afte
completi g
thei
educatio ,
epo ted
The
Fi a cial
Exp ess.

The
fi di g
comes
as
the
US,
o e
of
the
most
popula
desti atio s
fo
I dia
stude ts,
has
i t oduced
a
se ies
of
cha ges
affecti g
stude t
visas,
immig atio
status
a d
post-study
employme t.

Togethe ,
the
t e ds
poi t
to
a
cha gi g
equatio :
I dia
stude ts
co ti ue
to
value
i te atio al
educatio ,
but
the
t aditio al
idea
of
studyi g
i
the
US
a d
the
stayi g
o
to
wo k
is
faci g
g eate
u ce tai ty.

Fo eig
Deg ee,
The
Back
Home?

The
SGMI
epo t
is
based
o
17,925
co e
espo ses,
alo g
with
a ou d
2,400
additio al
espo ses
cove i g
a eas
i cludi g
cou se
choices,
family
backg ou d
a d
post-g aduatio
pla s.

Its
fi di gs
suggest
that
studyi g
ove seas
is
i c easi gly
bei g
viewed
by
I dia
stude ts
as
a
way
to
gai
i te atio al
exposu e,
skills
a d
a
ove seas
qualificatio
athe
tha
ecessa ily
as
a
pe ma e t
move
ab oad.

A ou d
15
pe
ce t
of
espo de ts
said
they
pla ed
to
look
fo
a
job
afte
g aduatio ,
although
the
su vey
does
ot
cla ify
whethe
those
jobs
would
be
i
I dia
o
ove seas.

A othe
otable
shift
is
visible
i
how
stude ts
a e
maki g
thei
study-ab oad
decisio s.
Self-motivated
applicatio s
i c eased
f om
29
pe
ce t
i
2023-24
to
49
pe
ce t
i
2025-26.

The
ove all
fi di gs
a e
global,
but
they
assume
pa ticula
sig ifica ce
fo
I dia
stude ts
co side i g
the
US
as
immig atio
a d
stude t
visa
policies
co ti ue
to
cha ge.

The
US
Study-To-Wo k
Route
Is
Becomi g
Less
Ce tai

The
t aditio al
US
oute
has
elied
heavily
o
the
ability
of
i te atio al
stude ts
to
emai
i
the
cou t y
afte
g aduatio
th ough
OPT.

The
p og amme
allows
eligible
i te atio al
stude ts
to
wo k
fo
12
mo ths
afte
g aduatio ,
while
STEM
stude ts
ca
ge e ally
eceive
a
additio al
24
mo ths.
Fo
ma y
I dia
stude ts,
OPT
has
se ved
as
a
b idge
betwee
a
F-1
stude t
visa
a d
the
H-1B
wo k
visa.

But
seve al
developme ts
ove
the
past
18
mo ths
have
made
that
jou ey
mo e
complicated.

I
Ma ch
2025,
thousa ds
of
i te atio al
stude ts
saw
thei
eco ds
i
the
Stude t
a d
Excha ge
Visito
I fo matio
System
(SEVIS)
te mi ated,
with
some
cases
i volvi g
mi o
t affic
violatio s
o
past
political
activity.
The
State
Depa tme t
said
by
Ja ua y
2025
that
it
had
evoked
mo e
tha
8,000
stude t
visas,
while
sepa ate
t acki g
late
put
2025
SEVIS
te mi atio s
at
a ou d
4,700
to
4,736,
alo gside
at
least
6,000
evoked
F,
M
a d
J
visas.

The
move
t igge ed
mo e
tha
100
lawsuits,
afte
which
a
fede al
judge
i
No the
Califo ia
issued
a
atio wide
i ju ctio
o de i g
ma y
of
the
eco ds
to
be
esto ed.

Also
Read
:& bsp;Ba k
Holidays
This
Week
(August
10-16):
SBI,
HDFC,
ICICI,
PNB
To
Remai
Closed
O
These
Days

Visa
I te views,
Social
Media
Checks
Add
To
U ce tai ty

The
u ce tai ty
exte ded
to
stude ts
who
we e
yet
to
e te
the
US.

O
May
27,
2025,
the
State
Depa tme t
paused
the
scheduli g
of
ew
visa
i te views
fo
F,
M
a d
J
applica ts
wo ldwide.
The
pause
lasted
a ou d
th ee
weeks,
cove i g
a
pe iod
that
o mally
sees
a
high
volume
of
stude t
visa
applicatio s
betwee
May
a d
August.

A
few
weeks
late ,
a othe
cha ge
affected
the
visa
applicatio
p ocess.
F om
Ju e
18,
2025,
F,
M
a d
J
applica ts
we e
equi ed
to
make
thei
social
media
accou ts
public
so
that
US
co sula
office s
could
eview
them.

Officials
we e
i st ucted
to
look
fo
what
was
desc ibed
as
“pote tially
de ogato y& dquo;
mate ial.
Stude ts
who
decli ed
to
coope ate
could
have
thei
applicatio s
t eated
as
“evasive& dquo;.

T avel
est ictio s
also
expa ded.
A
executive
o de
issued
o
Ju e
4,
2025,
blocked
visa
issua ce
to
atio als
of
oughly
12
to
19
cou t ies,
i cludi g
I a ,
Libya,
Somalia
a d
Afgha ista .
A
fu the
p oclamatio
issued
i
Decembe
2025
expa ded
est ictio s
to
39
cou t ies
as
well
as
the
Palesti ia
te ito ies,
taki g
effect
o
Ja ua y
1,
2026.

The
latte
move
also
i t oduced
a
“Hold
a d
Review& dquo;
policy
affecti g
some
pe di g
USCIS
applicatio s,
i cludi g
OPT
a d
STEM
OPT
applicatio s,
fo
people
f om
the
affected
cou t ies.

H-1B
Route
Also
Faces
A
Highe
Cost

Fo
stude ts
hopi g
to
emai
i
the
US
afte
g aduatio ,
the
H-1B
pathway
has
also
become
mo e
difficult.

I
Septembe
2025,
the
White
House
i t oduced
a
$100,000
fee
o
ew
H-1B
petitio s
filed
f om
outside
the
US.
Twe ty
states
subseque tly
challe ged
the
move
i
fede al
cou t.

US
Citize ship
a d
Immig atio
Se vices
pa tly
cha ged
the
policy
i
late
Octobe
2025
fo
people
who
we e
al eady
i side
the
US
immig atio
system.

Sepa ately,
a
ew
cap
limited
fo eig
stude ts
to
15
pe
ce t
of
a
u ive sity’s
total
stude t
populatio ,
while
o
si gle
cou t y
could
accou t
fo
mo e
tha
5
pe
ce t.

Give
the
size
of
the
I dia
stude t
populatio
i
the
US,
such
est ictio s
could
have
a
pa ticula ly
sig ifica t
bea i g
o
I dia
applica ts.

A
New
Vetti g
System
A d
A
Fou -Yea
Limit

The
US
immig atio
system
has
also
moved
towa ds
mo e
ce t alised
mo ito i g.

O
Decembe
5,
2025,
USCIS
lau ched
a
ew
Vetti g
Ce t e
b i gi g
togethe
checks
i volvi g
visas,
school
eco ds
a d
bo de
i fo matio .

The ,
i
July
2026,
the
Depa tme t
of
Homela d
Secu ity
fi alised
a othe
majo
cha ge
by
e di g
the
decades-old
“du atio
of
status& dquo;
system.

U de
the
ew
ules,
i te atio al
stude ts
will
ge e ally
be
limited
to
fou
yea s
u less
they
obtai
a
fo mal
exte sio .
The
cha ges
also
i t oduce
ew
est ictio s
co ce i g
cha ges
of
majo
a d
t a sfe s
betwee
i stitutio s.

DHS
Sec eta y
Ma kway e
Mulli
said
the
ule
would
e su e
stude ts
“ emai
focused
o
thei
p ima y
pu pose:
completi g
thei
studies
a d
etu i g
home.& dquo;

The
admi ist atio ‘s
sc uti y
of
stude t
status
also
co ti ued
i to
2026.
A
seco d
wave
of
SEVIS
te mi atio s
took
place
i
Ma ch
2026
u de
what
officials
called
a
“o e-st ike& dquo;
policy.

A
te mi ated
SEVIS
eco d
ca
immediately
affect
a
stude t’s
legal
status,
pote tially
c eati g
complicatio s
a ou d
OPT,
u ive sity
t a sfe s
a d
etu i g
to
the
US.
Stude ts
ge e ally
have
a
60-day
g ace
pe iod
to
t y
to
esolve
such
issues.

Also
Read
:& bsp;100%
US
Ta iff
Th eat:
I dia’s
Expo te s
B ace
Fo
F esh
T ade
Shock
Ove
Russia
Oil

I dia
Stude ts
A e
Al eady
Feeli g
The
Impact

The
cha gi g
policy
e vi o me t
is
eflected
i
stude t
visa
umbe s.

F-1
visas
issued
to
I dia
stude ts
fell
69
pe
ce t
i
Ju e
a d
July
2025,
with
12,776
visas
issued
compa ed
with
41,336
a
yea
ea lie .

Ove all
app ovals
fo
I dia
stude ts
du i g
the
2025
peak
seaso
fell
62
pe
ce t
yea -o -yea ,
while
US
i te atio al
stude t
e olme t
is
estimated
to
have
d opped
by
a ou d
20
pe
ce t
i
2026.

With
a ou d
372,000
I dia
stude ts
cu e tly
studyi g
i
the
US,
cha ges
to
the
stude t
visa
a d
immig atio
system
have
pote tially
sig ifica t
implicatio s
fo
o e
of
the
cou t y’s
la gest
i te atio al
stude t
g oups.

A
Diffe e t
Equatio
Fo
I dia
Stude ts

The
co t ast
is
st iki g.
O
o e
side,
the
US
oute
f om
u ive sity
to
employme t
a d
lo g-te m
stay
has
become
i c easi gly
u ce tai ,
with
tighte
sc uti y
a d
ew
est ictio s
affecti g
diffe e t
stages
of
the
jou ey.

O
the
othe ,
Oxfo d
I te atio al’s
SGMI
suggests
that
81
pe
ce t
of
I dia
stude ts
pla i g
to
study
ab oad
al eady
expect
to
etu
home
afte
completi g
thei
educatio .

That
does
ot
mea
i te atio al
educatio
has
lost
its
appeal.
I stead,
the
data
poi ts
towa ds
a
pote tially
diffe e t
objective:
gai i g
a
global
educatio
a d
expe ie ce
befo e
b i gi g
those
skills
back
to
I dia.

Fo
stude ts
co side i g
the
US,
howeve ,
the
decisio
ow
i volves
mo e
tha
choosi g
a
u ive sity
o
cou se.
The
evolvi g
ules
a ou d
visas,
stude t
status,
OPT
a d
post-study
employme t
have
become
a
i c easi gly
impo ta t
pa t
of
the
calculatio .

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