Donald Trump’s anti-immigration narrative is now having a dangerous fallout on Indian students’ dreams to study or live in USA. In the busy months from March to May, F-1 visas issued to Indians fell to the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the latest data from the American State Department, the number of student visas issued in the time frame fell by 27% as compared to where they stood during this passage of time last year.
The drop in numbers aligns with the anti-immigration scenes being witnessed across America. Ever since Donald Trump came back for a second presidential term in the United States, the immigration scene and international students lives have been put through the wood-chipper.
In late May, the Trump government pushed embassies to stop scheduling new visa interviews for students and exchange visitors so that the US State Department could double down on student applicants’ screening, further exposing their social media to officials for the vetting process.
While pro-Palestinian campus activism was red-flagged as the cause for some F-1 visa revocations, other students never even got a credible explanation. Past charges like DUIs emerged as another common reason for legal status terminations. As of April, US authorities had revoked international students’ visas in at least 32 states, as per an NBC News analysis.
US authorities have repeatedly issued new guidelines for visa applicants’ vetting. As part of the new inclusions, the US Embassy in New Delhi recently urged non-immigrant visa applicants for F, M and J categories to make their social media accounts from the past five years public to facilitate the screening process.
US Embassy spokesperson says visa vetting process hasn’t stopped
Addressing the crashing student visa applications issue, a US Embassy spokesperson said, “The adjudication of visa applications is critically important to the national security and public safety of the US. We encourage applicants to apply as early as they can and to anticipate additional processing time for these visa categories,” as per The Indian Express.
“Our overseas posts have resumed scheduling F non-immigrant visa applications. Applicants should check the relevant embassy or consulate website for appointment availability. Consular sections constantly adjust their schedules to allow for sufficient time to fully vet the cases to ensure our visa operations around the world meet the highest standards.” the spokesperson added.
They also noted that officials haven’t stopped vetting visa applicants as they want to firmly ensure that people entering the country do not harbour any intentions to harm the United States. The embassy official affirmed that applications wouldn’t be red-flagged as long as visa applicants “credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms of their admission.”