United States Plans New Visa Restrictions for Indian Students
Under the proposed policy, students holding F-1 visas would generally be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum of four years. Students requiring additional time to complete their studies would need to obtain approval from the DHS for an extension before their authorized stay expires.
United States Plans New Visa Restrictions for Indian StudentsWashington:More than 300,000 Indian students studying in the United States, along with millions of other international students, could soon face major changes under a proposed new US immigration policy. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed ending the long-standing “Duration of Status” system and replacing it with a fixed period of stay for international students. Under the proposed policy, students holdingF-1 visaswould generally be allowed to remain in the United States for a maximum offour years. Students requiring additional time to complete their studies would need to obtain approval from the DHS for an extension before their authorized stay expires. The same rules would also apply to participants in theJ-1 exchange visitor programmeand certain other visa categories. However, the proposal would require approval from the US Congress before it can be implemented. According to the US government, the proposed changes are aimed at strengthening oversight of the visa system and enhancing national security. Universities and educational institutions, however, have expressed concerns that the policy could create difficulties for thousands of international students enrolled in academic programmes that typically take more than four years to complete. Follow for more details:munsifdaily. comAccording to theOpen Doors 2024report, more than331,000 Indian studentswere studying in the United States during the 2023-24 academic year, accounting for nearly30 percentof the country’s international student population. A significant number of these students are pursuing PhD programmes, research-based master’s degrees, medical training, engineering research, and other long-duration courses. Under the new proposal, students whose legal period of stay expires without receiving an extension in time could be considered out of status or unlawfully present in the country, even if delays were caused by administrative processing or document verification procedures. Meanwhile, a report byThe Wall Street Journalclaimed that the Trump administration is also considering a proposal requiring Green Card applicants to deposit$100,000 (approximately Rs 96 lakh)as a security bond during the processing period. If approved, applicants would be required to maintain the deposit until their Green Card application is finalized, after which the amount would be refunded upon approval. Experts believe that Indian nationals could be among the most affected by the proposal, as more thanone million Indiansare currently waiting for Green Cards, while theUnited Statesissues only around9,800 Green Cards annuallyto Indian applicants under existing country-specific quotas. Follow UsMohammed Yousuf QasmiSenior Content Editor – Hyderabad & Telangana Affairs!Mohammed Yousuf is a Senior Content Editor at Munsif News 24x7, covering Hyderabad and Telangana affairs. With over a decade of experience in journalism, Yousuf reports on governance, public issues, law and order, and political developments. He regularly contributes breaking news and in-depth reports to Munsif News 24x7.