F-1 Visa Issuance to Indian Students Plummets 76% as Barriers Mount
New State Department data reveals a 76% decline in F-1 study visas issued to Indian students between 2023 and 2025, driven primarily by visa processing barriers including interview freezes and capacity constraints rather than reduced student interest. While some demand shift toward alternative destinations like Singapore and Europe is occurring, education consultants attribute the dramatic drop to structural visa bottlenecks, policy uncertainty, and inconsistent visa adjudications affecting India's concentrated student applicant pool.