The number of US student visas issued to Indian nationals has fallen by 62% in 2025, according to a new report that also recommends scrapping the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme.The report, authored by George Fishman, Senior Legal Fellow at the Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS), said the US issued 22,149 student visas to Indian nationals in 2025, down sharply from 58,694 issued a year earlier, PTI reported.Despite the decline in new visas, Indian students continued to form the largest group of international students in the US. Data from the Institute of International Education (IIE) showed that 363,019 Indian students were enrolled in US higher education institutions during the 2024-25 academic year, ahead of 265,919 students from China. Together, the two countries accounted for 53% of the 1,177,766 international students studying at the post-secondary level
Indian students dominate OPT programme
The report found that 294,253 international graduates were working in the US under the OPT programme during the 2024-25 academic year. Indian nationals made up the largest share, with 143,740 participants, or 49% of the total. Chinese graduates accounted for 61,981 participants, representing 21%.
What is an OPT programme?
The Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme is a temporary work authorisation scheme for international students on an F-1 visa in the United States. It allows graduates to work for up to 12 months in a job directly related to their field of study.Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields can apply for an additional 24-month extension, allowing them to remain and work in the US for a longer period after completing their degree.
Report urges programme to be scrapped
Fishman argued that the programme should be discontinued, claiming it affects employment opportunities for American workers.“I have advocated for the termination of OPT in order to protect the wages and employment opportunities of American students and workers; and end the George W. Bush and Obama administrations’ disgraceful use of the OPT program to subvert the will of Congress,” he said.He added: “But, short of that, reducing the OPT pipeline of foreign students from India and the PRC, who make up the majority of all OPT participants, will reduce the deleterious effects of OPT on American students and workers.”
Chinese student visas also declined
The report noted that student visas issued to Chinese nationals also dropped, falling from 61,075 in 2024 to 40,034 in 2025, a decline of 34%.According to the CIS, the comparison focuses on the May to August period, when most F-1 student visas are issued ahead of the academic year. In 2024, 77% of all F-1 visas granted to Indian students and 76% of those issued to Chinese students were approved during these months.While the report argues that reducing the number of international students entering the OPT pipeline would benefit American workers, any changes to the programme would require action by the US government before taking effect.
