Pakistani F1 Student Enrollment in US Rising at Slowest Rate in 5 Years

Enrollment of Pakistani students on US F1 visa rose just 5.6% to 7,957 in 2018/19, the slowest rate in 5 years. It's in sharp contrast to 27% jump in Pakistani student enrollment to 28,000 in China this year.

Pakistani F1 Students in US. Source: IIE 

Rate of increase in Pakistani students on F-1 visas declined to 5.6%, down from 8.5% in 2014/15 and 14.7% in 2015/16. However, the total number of Pakistani students on F1 visa in the United States has climbed from 5,354 to 7,957. Enrollment of international students from Pakistan on F1 visa declined from a peak of nearly 9,000 in 2001/02 to a low of 4,600 in 2011/12.

US Non-Immigrant Visa Rejection Rates. Source US State Dept via Qua...

Total number of foreign students studying in the United States is nearly 1.1 million, the largest in the world. China hosts nearly 492,000 foreign students. New international student enrollment is declining in the US while it is rapidly climbing in China.

Pakistan (7,957) now ranks 22nd among nations sending students to study in the United States.  China (369,548), India (202,014), South Korea (52.250), Saudi Arabia (37,080) and Canada (26,122) occupy the top 5 positions in terms of the number of international students in the United States.

Number of foreign students in the United States from various countries of origin is heavily skewed by visa refusal rates. 48% of applications from Pakistan for non-immigrant travel visa to the United States, including F-1 student visa, are rejected, a much higher rate than 27% refusals in India. Highest refusal rates are for applicants from Somalia (90.2%) and Iran (87.7%). The lowest are in Argentina (1.7%) and Liechtenstein ( 0%). 

In China, South Korea is the leading sender with 50,600 students enrolled in 2018, followed by Thailand (28,600 students), and, in a virtual tie for second place, Pakistan and its 28,000 students in Chinese institutions and schools last year. Rounding out the top five source countries are India (23,200 students in 2018) and the US (21,000 students).

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Comment by Riaz Haq on June 25, 2023 at 7:05pm

There were 8,772 international students from Pakistan at U.S. higher education institutions in 2021/22. A 17.4% change from the previous year.

https://opendoorsdata.org/data/international-students/all-places-of...

---------------

There has been a 17 percent year-on-year increase (to 8,772) in the number of Pakistani students in the United States during 2021-22, says an official US report.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1723571

The report, released in Washington this week, notes that the United States remains the top destination for international students and the number of students from Bangladesh, Nepal, India, and Pakistan is on the rise!

In South Asia, Bangladesh topped the list with a 23 per cent year-over-year increase, followed by India with a 19pc increase.

Pakistan also has the largest US-funded Fulbright programme in the world, which sends 150 Pakistanis each year to US universities — 100 to earn their master’s degrees and 50 to earn PhDs.

The United States also sponsors 800 Pakistanis each year to travel on exchange programs — from high school students who spend a year at a US high school to professionals who connect with their American counterparts. As a result, Pakistan is home to the largest network of alumni of US government-funded exchange programmes in the world.

The “Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange,” published this week, identified China and India as the largest sources of international students to the United States. During the current academic year, China sent 290,086 students, which is 30.6pc of the total number of international students in the US. Yet, it is a decline of 8.6pc, compared to the previous academic year. India, which sent 199,183 students this year — 21 percent of the total — registered a 19pc year-over-year increase. Toge­ther, China and India represent the majority (almost 52pc) of all international students in the United States.

This year’s report shows a 91pc decline in the total number of US students who studied abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year. This is apparently because since the Covid-19 pandemic, 62pc of US colleges offer virtual internships.

While the pandemic also caused a 45.6pc decline in new international students in 2020, the latest data, covering the 2021-2022 academic year, indicates that the total number of international students in the US — 948,519 — has started to recover.

This can be seen in a 3.8pc increase over the 914,095 international students in the US in 2020. Still, the number is well below the nearly 1.1 million international students reported in 2018.

Much of the recent growth is driven by an increase in the number of new international students — 261,961 – which is up 80pc over the 145,528 from 2020 but still 2.14pc below the 267,712 from 2019. Over the past decade, US colleges enrolled more students from China than from any other country. The onset of the global pandemic effectively halted travel between China and the US and political tensions further exacerbated the situation. Now, many Chinese parents feel their children are safe in the US.

The increase in Indian students is also attributed to the Biden administration’s policy of prioritising the student-visa processing in India. This includes adding more staff at US missions in India and streamlining the process, Chinese visa approvals are trending lower than in past years.

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 19, 2023 at 10:13am

Outbound mobility trends for five key sending markets (of international students) in Asia (in 2022)

Bangladesh (70,000) , Nepal (125,500), Pakistan (103,190), Philippines (62,000) and Thailand (40,720).

https://monitor.icef.com/2023/03/outbound-mobility-trends-for-five-...


Pakistan
The most recent UNESCO data (2020) counts 64,065 Pakistani students abroad in higher education. Outbound mobility from Pakistan was over 103,190 in 2022 when we consult more recent statistics published by government sources in various destinations. There have been large increases in Pakistani students recorded recently in the UK, Australia, US, Canada, and Germany.

The top three destinations for Pakistani students currently are UAE, UK, and Australia.

UAE: 24,865 in 2020 according to UNESCO
UK: 23,075 in 2021/22 (+62% y-o-y)
Australia: 15,875 in 2022 (+15%)
US: 8,770 in 2021/22 (+17%)
Germany: 7,115 in 2021/22 (+22%)
Canada: 6,405 in 2022 (+38%)
Kyrgyzstan: 6,000 in 2020 according to UNESCO
Malaysia: 4,700 in 2021
Turkey: 2,385 in 2020 according to UNESCO
Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Sweden, Qatar: At least 4,000 in 2020 according to UNESCO

Comment by Riaz Haq on August 20, 2023 at 7:38am

#US deports 21 #Indian #students in a single day. Their mobile phones & WhatsApp conversations were scrutinized. They were instructed to exit the country calmly, with warnings of severe legal consequences should they voice objections. #immigration #F1Visa
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/students-de...

Students who were deported from the United States and had their student visa cancel could face a five-year entry ban to the country, TOI said in a report.

These students can also face problems when they try entering other popular international study destinations such as Canada, the UK, and Australia, experts said

The same report also said that this can create long-term implications for these individuals if they want to get an H1B visa in the future unless endorsed by major MNCs.

Financially, the cancellation of the F1 visa results in substantial losses as students forfeit expenses including visa fees, airfare, university application costs, consultant charges, and more, which could total around ₹3 lakh.

Twenty-one Indian students were deported from the United States in a single day, sparking concerns about visa-related complications. Many of these students, hailing from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, had completed visa formalities and arrived in the US with aspirations of pursuing higher education.


Reports indicate that these students were sent back following thorough document checks by immigration officers, leading to their brief detainment. The instances occurred across airports in Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco. Students shared their confusion, as they believed they had fulfilled all requirements for their visas and were prepared to join colleges.

Lacking clear explanations for their deportation, some students revealed that their mobile phones and WhatsApp conversations were scrutinized. Moreover, they were instructed to exit the country calmly, with warnings of severe legal consequences should they voice objections. The universities these students were en route to included institutions in Missouri and South Dakota.

As per data for May and June, which is typically when F1 visas for the fall semester are issued, about 42,750 students bagged F1 visas from five consulates in India. In sharp contrast, in the same period in 2022, only 38,309 F1 visas were issued.

Comment by Riaz Haq on September 11, 2023 at 9:46am

Total F1 Visa Approvals/ Issuances by Fiscal Year* at Pakistan Consulates
Below is the total number of F1 Visa issuances/ approvals in Pakistan since fiscal year 2018.

Fiscal Year(FY)* Approvals/ Issuances
FY 2018 1,672
FY 2019 1,593
FY 2020 654
FY 2021 4,111
FY 2022 3,848

https://visagrader.com/visa-approvals-and-refusals/F1/pakistan-pak

F1 Visa Approval and Rejection rates for Consulates/ Embassy in Pakistan
Below is the projected F1 Visa approval and rejection rates across US Consulates/ Embassy in Pakistan by fiscal year. The US Department of State does not release specific data of rejections/ refusals or denials by Country or US Consulate/ Embassy. The approval and rejection rates for F1 Visa and nationality of Pakistan that you see below are derived based on the total number of approvals across all Consulates in Pakistan and the global rejection/ refusal data shared by US Department of State.

Fiscal Year* Approval Rate Rejection Rate#
FY 2018 65.03% 34.97%
FY 2019 74.65% 25.35%
FY 2020 68.84% 31.16%
FY 2021 80.17% 19.83%

F1 Visa Approvals/ Issuances by Month and Year at Consulates/ Embassy in Pakistan
Below is the total number of F1 Visa approvals/ issuances in Pakistan by every month of the year since year 2018. The data by month of the year is a good indicator to understand the seasonality of the demand for certain visa types for your planning. You can use this data to book appointments during less busy time to avoid issues with finding visa slots.

2018
Month Approvals
January 96
February 17
March 30
April 88
May 182
June 312
July 413
August 264
September 20
October 36
November 74
December 142
2019
Month Approvals
January 71
February 18
March 19
April 65
May 195
June 303
July 436
August 203
September 31
October 61
November 161
December 263
2020
Month Approvals
January 112
February 26
March 17
April 3
May 2
June 1
July 1
August 3
September 4
October 375
November 326
December 374
2021
Month Approvals
January 236
February 79
March 131
April 185
May 286
June 832
July 576
August 488
September 223
October 282
November 341
December 443
2022
Month Approvals
January 304
February 121
March 133
April 163
May 390
June 667
July 522
August 374
September 108
October 94
November 0
December 0
F1 Visa Issuances/Approvals by US Consulate/ Embassy
You can click on the below links to explore F1 Visa approvals/ issuances data by US Consulate/ Embassy in Pakistan

Total F1 Visa Approvals/ Issuances by Fiscal Year* for Individuals with Nationality as Pakistan
Below is the total number of F1 Visa approvals/ issuances for individuals with nationality as Pakistan since fiscal year 2018.

Fiscal Year* Approvals/ Issuances
FY 2018 1,964
FY 2019 1,881
FY 2020 790
FY 2021 3,506
FY 2022 3,553

Comment by Riaz Haq on March 30, 2024 at 8:33pm

US records 16% increase in admission of Pakistani students

In the past two years, an overall 33% increase has been noted

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1129600-us-records-16-increase-in...
A United States Department of State report recorded a 16% increase in the admission of Pakistani students to universities across the country.

The annual Open Doors Report for 2022-23 report, prepared in collaboration with the Institute of International Education (IIE), highlighted a substantial increase in the number of students from Pakistan studying in higher education institutions in the US.

"During 2022-2023, there were 10,164 Pakistani students, compared to 8,772 in the previous year, indicating an impressive 16% increase," the report read.

It also underscores the continued prominence of the US as the top destination for international study in the 2022-2023 academic year. Notably, the data reveals a significant milestone, with the US hosting over one million (1,057,188) international students during this period, marking a remarkable 12% increase from the previous academic year and representing the fastest growth rate in over four decades.

-----

International students in the U.S., by country of origin 2022/23 | Statista


10,164 students from Pakistan studying in America, ranking the country the 16th largest source of international students in the US

https://www.statista.com/statistics/233880/international-students-i...

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