The month of August 2025 has proved to be full of difficulties for Indian students. The US administration has issued fewer student visas this month, which is considered much less than last year. According to news agency AFP, America issued a total of 3,13,138 student visas in August 2025, which is 19.1% less than in August 2024.

Indians have suffered the most due to this visa cut. There was a decline of about 44.5% in visas given to Indian students. This decline comes after the Trump administration’s recent decision to limit the duration of student and other visa categories.

Twice as many students from China got American visas

America has given visas to 86,647 Chinese students. This number is more than double the visas issued to Indian students. However, according to the report, India was on top in terms of foreign students in America in 2024, so this decline is a matter of concern not only for Indian students but also for American universities.

Trump administration’s strict visa policy

US President Donald Trump had announced the adoption of a strict immigration policy. In this context, the proposal to limit the duration of F-1 visa for international students in August was part of this policy. The reasoning behind this decision was that the number of foreign students in America is increasing very rapidly, due to which local students may suffer losses. However, education sector experts believe that this step could lead to a huge reduction in revenue for American universities, because students coming from India and China pay hefty fees.

Biggest impact on Indian students

India has always been ahead in the list of people receiving higher education in America. However, this time due to the policies of the Trump administration, there was a 45% decline in visa allocation for Indian students, while for Chinese students the decline was only around 10-12%. This has caused a wave of concern among Indian students. Many students who had already submitted applications are now being called for additional documents or interviews. Many universities have also said that due to this policy, there is a record decline in the number of new students coming from India.

Signs of crisis on H-1B visa also

Along with the decline in student visas, the Trump administration is also eyeing the H-1B visa. Recently the government announced that American companies will have to pay a fee of up to $1,00,000 for every new H-1B visa applicant. This decision can prove to be a big blow for Indian professionals working in the technical and IT sector. For this reason, companies like Amazon, Meta and JP Morgan had instructed their Indian employees to return to America before September 21. However, later the administration clarified that this rule will apply only to new visa applications.

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Us immigration policy: The Trump administration in the US has taken a shocking decision. The Homeland Security Department (DHS) led by Trump Administration has sent the entire staff of the Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) Lokpal office on a long leave of 60 days. It is not being seen as a temporary change but as a strategic decision. This decision has deepened the doubt that the independent immigration inspection system is being gradually eliminated by the Trump administration.

The CIS office worked freely compared to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It used to help about 30,000 people out of immigration problems every year. Its main objective was to ensure transparency and fairness in immigration processes. However, now no department can monitor the functioning of USCIS due to temporary closure of CIS.

The most impact of this change can be on those of Indian origin who are working in America on H-1B visa or studying on F-1 visa. Both these sections are often victims of the slow process of USCIS, documentary mistakes and delay in form processing. For this, he used to resort to CIS Lokpal, which made his work easy. However, now Trump’s decision can bring a lot of difficulties for him.
H-1B visa holders trouble
When the CIS Lokpal is temporarily closed, H-1B visa holders will have to find alternative avenues to know the status of their petition or challenge the inequalities of the USCIS. However, the biggest concern is that there will be no fair or independent eye on the decision process of USCIS in the absence of Lokpal.

Reaction of immigration lawyers and MPs
The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) and several advocacy groups have sharply criticized the decision. He believes that this step indicates lack of transparency in the immigration system and monopoly of administrative control. Democratic MPs have specifically described the move as disregard of legal imperative, as the affected office was established with the help of CIS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties law and it cannot be removed.

What can the affected immigrants do?
After the closure of the Lokpal, there are some major options in front of the affected immigrants:

1. Contact your Congress representative: In many cases, representatives can get information directly from USCIS and get matters priority.

2. Take the help of immigration lawyer: Professional guidance is very important for especially difficult cases. The help of certified lawyers can be taken from institutions like Aila.

3. Keep detail records of all documents: Every email, letter, call log and copy of the application should be maintained so that it can be presented as evidence at any time.

4. Consider premium processing: If a visa holder is financially possible, then you can speed up the application process by taking advantage of the premium processing facility of USCIS.