Comment by Riaz Haq on October 25, 2025 at 12:36pm

Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee spares Indian students in the US but raises costs for IT cos' offshore transfers - The Economic Times

https://m.economictimes.com/nri/latest-updates/trumps-100000-h-1b-v...


The Trump administration’s decision to exempt individuals already in the US, including foreign students, from paying the $100,000 H-1B visa fee has brought major relief for American employers, and universities. Many US-based companies rely on foreign graduates, especially those on F1 visas, to fill high-skilled roles. The exemption ensures that firms hiring such talent will not face additional costs when sponsoring their work visas.

The clarification is expected to reduce fears among students who have been scrambling for alternate study abroad destinations after Trump's policy see-saws, allowing them to reconsider the US.

Fee targets overseas applicants, not those already in the US
The clarification from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — following President Donald Trump’s September 19 proclamation — confirmed that the new $100,000 H-1B fee applies only to new petitions filed for individuals outside the United States. It does not apply to amendments, changes of status, or extensions for workers and students already living in the country.

The rule, effective from September 21, 2025, requires employers to provide proof of payment through pay.gov. Exceptions will be permitted only in “extraordinarily rare” cases where the Secretary of Homeland Security determines that the applicant’s presence in the US serves the national interest and that no American worker can fill the role.

For Indian students already studying or working in the US under F1 visas, this clarification is a significant relief. It allows them to seek employment with American companies and startups without the additional $100,000 H-1B burden for employers.

Indian IT firms face higher costs but rely less on H-1B transfers
For Indian IT services companies, the impact of the rule is limited but financially important. These firms have historically transferred employees from India to the US on H-1B visas, and such transfers will now incur the $100,000 fee. However, over the past several years, leading firms like Infosys, Wipro, and TCS have reduced their dependence on overseas transfers.

Since the pandemic and earlier policy tightening during Trump’s first term, Indian IT firms have increased local hiring and established near-shore delivery centers in markets like Latin America and Canada. Today, nearly 80% of Wipro’s US workforce comprises local employees. Infosys CEO Salil Parekh has noted that only a small share of its staff now use the company’s immigration services, while TCS has said it sends only about 500 people annually on H-1B visas despite filing a larger number of petitions.

Experts see shift toward value-based hiring and local talent
Phil Fersht, CEO of IT research firm HFS Research, told TOI's Veena Mani & Shilpa Phadnis that the new rules signal a clear shift from “volume-driven visas to value-driven visas.” He added, “The message is clear: the US wants fewer imported coders and more onshore AI engineers and domain experts,” pointing out that the rule pushes IT services companies to invest more in building local capabilities.

Vivek Wadhwa, CEO of Vionix Biosciences and a former fellow at Harvard Law School and Carnegie Mellon University, described the policy as “a Trump taco, noise that scared everyone.”

“It got Trump's base very excited but he misled them as he often does, he made a lot of noise and really didn't do anything. It created a big panic for a month and as it turns out there was nothing to worry about,” told TOI.

Stephen Yale-Loehr, a retired professor of immigration law at Cornell Law School, said the impact of the new rule will be limited. “Only a small group of applicants will be affected,” he noted, adding that most H-1B workers already live and work in the US.

Comment by Riaz Haq on Monday

Fearing fraud, Canada rejects most Indian study permit applicants | Reuters

https://www.reuters.com/world/india/fearing-fraud-canada-rejects-mo...
74% of Indian applicants for Canadian study permits in August were rejected, up from 32% in August 2023
Rejection rate for applications overall was 40%
Canadian government cites fraud concerns

TORONTO, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Canada’s clampdown on international students has hit applicants from India particularly hard, government data shows, as what was once a preferred destination loses its allure for Indian students.
Canada lowered the number of international student permits it issues for the second year in a row in early 2025 as part of a broader effort to reduce the number of temporary migrants and address fraud related to student visas.

A Crackdown on Fraud
The sharp increase in visa rejections follows Canada’s intensified crackdown on fraudulent applications.
In 2023, authorities uncovered around 1,550 study permit applications linked to fake admission letters — most originating from India.

By 2024, an upgraded verification system detected over 14,000 potentially fraudulent letters of acceptance from all applicants.

A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that the government has “enhanced verification procedures” and raised financial thresholds for international students to prove their ability to fund their studies.

Political Tensions in the Background
The visa clampdown comes amid strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada.
In 2023, then–Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India’s government of involvement in the killing of a Canadian citizen in Surrey, British Columbia — an allegation New Delhi has consistently denied.

The episode severely tested ties between the two countries, and experts believe the political chill has indirectly affected education and immigration exchanges as well.

India’s Response
The Indian Embassy in Ottawa acknowledged reports of high rejection rates but emphasized that visa issuance remains Canada’s sovereign decision.

In a statement, it said:

“Some of the best-quality students in the world come from India, and Canadian institutions have long benefited from their talent and academic excellence.”

Canadian Universities Feel the Impact
Leading Canadian universities are already feeling the effects of the steep decline in Indian enrolments.
The University of Waterloo, home to the country’s largest engineering school, reported a two-thirds drop in Indian students joining its undergraduate and graduate programs over the past three to four years.

Similarly, the University of Regina and University of Saskatchewan have also seen notable declines in Indian student numbers.

Ian VanderBurgh, Associate Vice President of Strategic Enrolment Management at Waterloo, said the government’s cap on international student permits had “significantly changed the composition of our student body.”

“We pride ourselves on being an international university,” he said, “but that balance is shifting.”

From ‘Study, Work, Stay’ to ‘Proceed with Caution’
When Jaspreet Singh, founder of the International Sikh Students Association, came to Canada in 2015 to study mechanical engineering, government posters encouraged students to “Study, Work, Stay.”
That message has since faded.

Singh says he is not surprised by the current rejection rate:

“Fraud is a concern. But with permanent residency and job opportunities getting tougher, some students now feel relieved they didn’t come.”

Looking Ahead
During her visit to India in October, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said the government remains committed to maintaining the integrity of its immigration system while continuing to welcome Indian students.

For now, both Indian aspirants and Canadian universities are navigating a period of uncertainty — one that could reshape the global flow of talent and education partnerships in the years ahead.

Comment by Riaz Haq 1 hour ago

Indian student arrivals to US fall 44 percent biggest drop since pandemic Report

https://www.newindiaabroad.com/english/immigration/indian-student-a...

Indian students account for nearly one-third of all international students in the U.S., and the decline signals deepening challenges for aspirants.

The number of Indian students arriving in the United States in August fell by 44 percent compared with last year, contributing to a 19 percent decline in overall international student arrivals—the sharpest drop since the pandemic.


According to preliminary data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Trade.gov,, this marks the steepest decline on record outside the pandemic years. The fall is being attributed to a combination of visa delays, new travel restrictions on 19 countries, and increased scrutiny of student visa applicants under the Trump administration.

Also Read: Trump administration has revoked 80,000 non-immigrant visas, US official says

Nearly one in three international students in the U.S. are from India. The decline in arrivals, following last year’s downturn, underscores the mounting difficulties Indian students face in securing timely visas and reaching U.S. campuses.

Students from Asia—who make up more than 70 percent of all international students in the U.S.—recorded a 24 percent decline in arrivals this August, while students from Africa saw a 32 percent drop. Ghana and Nigeria reported that nearly half their students were unable to travel, and arrivals from China declined by about 12 percent.

The Commerce Department data, which includes both new and returning students, points to a broader slowdown in higher education mobility. A separate federal database also showed that the overall increase in international students this fall was 23 percent smaller than the same period last year.

The decline coincides with prolonged delays in visa interviews—including a three-week suspension in May—and months-long appointment backlogs that prevented many students from arriving in time for the fall semester.

In addition, the U.S. government imposed travel bans on several countries and introduced new rules requiring visa applicants to make their social media profiles public for what it described as “comprehensive vetting.”

NAFSA: Association of International Educators, a nonprofit organization, projected a 30 to 40 percent decline in new international student enrollment this fall, translating into an estimated $7 billion loss to the U.S. economy. Smaller arts institutions, Christian colleges, and flagship state universities are already reporting sharp downturns in international admissions.

Ohio State University reported a 38 percent decline in new international students, while Indiana University saw a 30 percent drop across campuses. Universities such as the University of Central Missouri and DePaul University have reported losses of up to 50 to 60 percent in new international graduate students, citing visa difficulties and waning interest in studying in the U.S.

The impact is being felt most acutely in STEM graduate programs, where international students make up over 80 percent of enrollment. Many teaching assistants and researchers in university laboratories are foreign nationals, and the slowdown could impede scientific output in several departments.

Nearly three-quarters of foreign doctorate recipients in science and engineering stay to work in the U.S., and over 40 percent of all doctorate-level scientists and engineers in the country were born abroad.

Experts warn the current drop in student arrivals may have long-term implications for research, innovation, and the country’s scientific workforce.

Comment by Riaz Haq 1 hour ago

International student arrivals to the US fall by 19%

https://thepienews.com/international-student-arrivals-to-the-us-fal...

New federal data has revealed a 19% year-on-year decline in international students entering the US in August 2025, including a 45% drop from India, America’s largest sending country.

In real terms, 33,285 less Indian students arrived in the US this August compared to last, typically the highest month for travel before the start of the fall semester.

“It’s a toxic combination of both visa challenges and declining interest, but visa uncertainty is the primary driver,” Nikhil Jain, founder & CEO of ForeignAdmits Indian education consultancy told The PIE News.

Jain said he’d seen a 30% dip in US master’s applications, highlighting a lack of visa appointments following the US suspension of global visa interviews preventing students enrolling this semester.

After India, the arrivals figures from the US International Trade Administration (ITA), highlighted considerable declines from other major source countries, with China and South Korea seeing respective drops of 12% and 11%. The data does not include students arriving from Canada and Mexico.

The largest percentage decreases were for students coming from Iran (86%), Syria (63%) and Nigeria (48%), with the latter making up the seventh largest source country for the US.

By region, Africa recorded the largest drop of 32%, followed by 24% less students from Asia and 17% from the Middle East. Latin America saw a 9% decline, while Europe and Oceania remained just below last year’s levels.

Notably, the data does not distinguish between new student arrivals and existing students who need a visa to return to the US. Thereby, the 19% decline may in part reflect the reluctance of existing international students to leave the US over the summer, fearing they couldn’t return.

Jain’s reports of declining master’s applicants ring true with the results of a recent survey in which one in four US graduate schools said they experienced lower than average master’s acceptances this year, though the survey closed before many delayed students could accept offers.

The findings follow unprecedented political hostility towards international students from the Trump administration, the cumulative effect of which, “could be a generational inflection point – like how the post-9/11 visa restrictions created lasting behavioural changes”, said Jain.

“The issue isn’t about students doubting the quality of US education – it’s about their trust in America’s commitment to them,” he continued.

Such volatility has led to enhanced scrutiny of international student enrolments and exposed inadequacies in datasets the sector relies on.

As Boston College professor Chris Glass told The PIE: “This is a moment to pause and a moment to realise we need better data … We need data that’s actually going to help institutions make decisions.”

Typically, the US state department releases near real-time data on visa issuance to new students, but this has not been updated since before the visa suspension in May, when 22% fewer visas were issued.

Recently released SEVIS data showed an 0.8% rise in total international students this year, going against widely held expectations of a 15% decline.

Many have pointed to the fact that the SEVIS figures include OPT participants in student counts, which could be “overinflating” the data, though Glass has argued that, to mask enrolment declines of 10-15%, OPT would have to had grown by up to 400,000 in a single year – something he deemed “unlikely”.

While the exact data picture in the US is still emerging, reports from Indian education consultancies reinforce the declining arrivals data, with Namita Mehta, president of The Red Pen, highlighting a “noticeable decline in US applications across all levels of higher education.”

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