American Dream Takes A Hit: Fewer Indian Students Go To US In 2025, Business Visas Buck The Trend

Last Updated:September 20, 2025, 10:41 IST

The visa issue for Indian students started in June when the US Department of State announced expanded screening and vetting for applicants, including social media vetting

The Ministry of External Affairs in July said that it had received several representations from Indian students and their families flagging difficulties in obtaining student visa appointments. (AI-Generated Image)

Preliminary data from the Trade Administration (ITA), part of the US Department of Commerce, shows that the number of Indian students arriving in the US on student visas in July and August 2025 combined fell to 54,567, from 99,125 in the same period in 2024.

Visa Hurdles Bite Students

The visa issue for Indian students started in June when the US Department of State (DOS) announced expanded screening and vetting for visa applicants. The DOS is now using all available information, including online presence, in its visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to national security.

The Ministry of External Affairs in July said it had received several representations from Indian students and their families flagging difficulties in obtaining student visa appointments.

Last month, News18 had reported that Germany has rapidly emerged as a preferred destination for higher education for Indian students amid the US visa crisis.

Business Travel Defies the Trend

There are three major categories of travellers to the US from India—students, tourists and businesses. During August this year, 1.26 lakh Indians went to the US on tourist visas, down from 1.30 lakh in 2024.

The impact of the drop in student visa and tourist visits has also been visible in the total number of Indians visiting the US. The total number of Indians visiting the US in August stood at 2.04 lakh in 2025, compared with 2.40 lakh in 2024.

ITA data shows business travel is the only category still growing, rising from 34,761 in August 2024 to 37,119 in August 2025.

Year-to-date Figures Show Same Pattern

The total number of Indians visiting the US till August has dropped from 15.54 lakh in 2024 to 14.86 lakh this year. During the January-August period this year, around 1.77 lakh Indian students went to the US—a 26.1 per cent drop from 2.40 lakh students in 2024.

The drop in total numbers of Indian visiting US was also impacted by the decrease in tourists and student visits—from 10.26 lakh in the first eight months of 2024 to 9.98 lakh this year.

However, the increase in business travel has softened the impact of the decline in student and tourist numbers. For the January to August period, the number of business visa holders visiting the US from India jumped from 2.87 lakh in 2024 to 3.11 lakh in 2025.

Younger Travellers Hit Hard

The ITA data also gives a breakdown by age of the visa-holders. As expected, the number of visitors below the age of 34 years for the month of August dropped from 1.35 lakh in 2024 to 98,771 in 2025.

From January to August, visits by those under 34 fell from 6.87 lakh in 2024 to 6.10 lakh in 2025. The age group of 18 to 24 years reported the steepest drop of about 44,000 from 1.83 lakh in 2024 to 1.39 lakh in 2025. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, there were roughly 75,000 fewer visitors than last year.

In the age of 35 and above category, the numbers show the opposite trend. This year, 8.76 lakh Indians above 35 visited the US, up from 8.67 lakh in 2024. The numbers for August increased from 1.04 lakh in 2024 to 1.05 lakh this year.

India’s Ranking in Tourism Up

Despite the slowdown, India’s rank among tourist-generating countries improved—from fourth to third in August, and from fourth to second year-to-date.

The top two countries in August were the UK (4.13 lakh) and Japan (2.44 lakh). For January to August, only the United Kingdom ranked above India, with 26.44 lakh visitors this year.

California, Washington Buck the Trend

While most US states—including Ohio, Texas, and New York—have seen fewer Indian visitors this year, California, Washington, Nevada, and Florida are notable exceptions.

California remained the top intended address for Indian visitors, receiving 24,063 arrivals in August 2025, only slightly below 24,787 a year earlier. Over the January–August period, arrivals rose from 1.98 lakh in 2024 to 2.01 lakh in 2025.

Washington saw a modest increase, climbing from 7,464 Indian visitors in August 2024 to 7,948 in August 2025. For the year to August, it inched up from 63,005 to 64,060. Nevada recorded growth despite the overall slowdown, with January–August visits rising from 14,579 in 2024 to 15,999 in 2025, even though August arrivals were nearly flat at 2,090.

Florida welcomed 4,879 Indians in August 2025 compared with 5,719 in 2024, however cumulative arrivals slightly increased to 44,668 from 44,027 in 2024.

In contrast, New York fell from 21,864 in August 2024 to 17,449 in 2025, while Texas slipped from 15,680 to 12,951.

For the eight-month period, New York dropped from 1.26 lakh in 2024 to 1.18 lakh in 2025 while for Texas, the numbers remained at 1.14 lakh – a smaller fall of roughly 650 visitors.

With the academic year already underway, Indian students face a shrinking window to secure US entry or to chase new dreams elsewhere. The next few weeks will reveal whether the American Dream rebounds or keeps slipping away.

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