Indian Students Face Worst US Visa Crisis

Indian students are facing a tough time in securing US visas even as the deadline for the US fall semester is fast approaching.

With just two weeks before the deadline, the Indian students are facing mass appointment shortages, sudden rejections, and this could result in 70-80% collapse in student arrivals this year.

The situation is so uncertain that an Indian applicant called the situation a ‘complete shitshow’ and warned that most students still don’t have visa interview dates. Posting the same on Reddit, he said that their consultant has been refreshing the appointment portal every day but without any success, so far. In the past, the process used to be complete well before the departure dates.

Speaking about the current situation, the education consultants say this is the worst year in memory for F-1 student visa processing. Appointment slots at US consulates in India are being frozen or released at random, for a brief duration, vanishing within minutes. At the same time, even successful bookings don’t generate confirmation emails, leaving the applicants clueless.

Though the US State Department promised emergency interview slots ‘in phases’, students complained of sporadic, unpredictable access. The US Embassy has acknowledged it cannot guarantee all students appointments this summer.

In 2024, India sent roughly 3,30,000 students to the US but this year’s number might dwindle below 1,00,000.

Even the rejection rates have also increased, despite applicants having strong academics, family ties and solid finances. They are being denied appointments under Section 214(b), which requires proof that they would return to India after studies.

Consultants estimate rejection rates for “clean” profiles at up to 50%. The overall F-1 approvals from India fell to 44% in the first half of 2025.

The chaos in the situation is being attributed to the tighter vetting of applications which include checking social media handles, interview suspension from May 27 to June 18, stricter enforcement of rules.

As the semester start approaching fast, a few Indian students are now looking to Germany and other nations as alternatives.