The number of US student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals fell sharply in 2025, according to a new report by the Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS).

Between May and August 2025, the US issued only 22,149 F-1 student visas to Indians. This was 60 per cent lower than the average of 55,717 visas issued during the same period in 2017-19 and 2021-24.

Compared with 2024, the fall was even bigger. The US had issued 58,694 F-1 visas to Indian nationals during May-August that year, meaning the number fell by 62 per cent in 2025.

The report said the decline, if it continues, could benefit American students and also help US national security. 

India and China make up more than half of foreign students 

Students from India and China made up more than half of all international students studying at US colleges and universities during the 2024-25 academic year. 

According to data from the Institute of International Education (IIE), there were 363,019 Indian students and 265,919 Chinese students in the US during the academic year. 

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Together, they accounted for 53 per cent of the 1,177,766 international students in the country.

The CIS report looked at the number of F-1 student visas issued between May and August from 2017 to 2025. It did not include 2020 because visa issuance fell sharply that year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

The May-August period is important because most students apply for their visas during these months before the new academic year begins.

In 2024, 77 per cent of all F-1 visas issued to Indian nationals were granted during this period.

Chinese student visas also see a major drop 

Chinese students also saw a sharp fall in US student visa numbers. The US issued 40,034 F-1 visas to Chinese nationals between May and August 2025. That was 46 per cent lower than the average of 73,853 visas issued during the same period in 2017-19 and 2021-24. 

It was also 34 per cent lower than the 61,075 visas issued to Chinese nationals during the same period in 2024. For Chinese students, 76 per cent of all F-1 visas issued in 2024 were granted between May and August. 

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Fewer students could mean fewer foreign workers 

The CIS report also looked at the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows foreign students to work in the US after completing their degrees. 

IIE data cited by the report showed that 294,253 foreign students out of more than one million international students in the US during 2024-25 had completed their studies and were working under OPT. 

Indian and Chinese nationals made up nearly 70 per cent of these OPT students. India accounted for 143,740 OPT participants, while China had 61,981.

The report also used data from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on students working under the STEM OPT programme, which covers science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates.  Of the 165,524 foreign students authorised to take part in STEM OPT in 2024, 68 per cent were from India or China. 

Indian citizens accounted for 79,331 of them, while Chinese citizens accounted for 33,807. The CIS report said the drastic fall in students from India and China could therefore lead to a smaller pool of foreign graduates entering the US workforce through OPT.

OPT and the H-1B visa system 

In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security created the STEM-OPT programme, which the report says helped employers get around the 65,000 annual H-1B visa limit. DHS said the H-1B shortage made it difficult for US companies to hire and retain skilled foreign workers.

The move came after Microsoft lobbyist Jack Krumholtz discussed the H-1B shortage with then-DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff in 2007. Krumholtz later urged DHS to extend OPT beyond its one-year limit to help address the shortage.

Congress has increased the cap in the past, but only temporarily. The report cited the House Judiciary Committee, which said increasing the cap indefinitely could hurt the job prospects of American graduates, especially those entering fields such as computer science. 

The report said the number of foreign workers using OPT has grown significantly.

DHS estimated that 583,420 foreign nationals were authorised to work in the US through the H-1B programme as of September 30, 2019.

By 2024, 340,066 foreign nationals were participating in OPT, and another 165,524 were in STEM-OPT. Together, that was 505,590 people.

The report pointed out that OPT has no numerical limit and is now close in size to the H-1B programme, even though OPT is not mentioned in the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The report said OPT could make it harder for recent American graduates to find jobs because foreign students may be cheaper to hire. The report also raised national security concerns over Chinese students, especially those studying STEM subjects linked to advanced technology.

It said some Chinese students may be pressured by their government to share information, although not all come to the US with plans to spy. Chinese students have grown from 3% of foreign students in 1984-85 to 15% in 2008-09.

The report argued that fewer Chinese students, particularly in sensitive fields, could reduce the risk of espionage and technology theft.