An application board found that the number of F-1 student visas granted to Indian students in the US increased by 14% from the previous year, reaching 1,30,839 in 2023.
The report states that for the second consecutive year, Indian students have acquired the highest number of US student visas compared to students from any other country.
Total visas issued to the top four East Asian markets in 2023 were 10,000 less than the amount of F1 student visas granted.
Based on the report's results, the United States issued 4,46,000 F-1 student visas in 2023, an increase of 8.5% from 4,11,000 visas in 2022. Since 2016, this number indicates the highest annual issuance of student visas.
Annually, about 2 lakh students from India contemplate attending universities in the United States. Twenty percent of international students studying AI, innovation, entrepreneurship, and new technologies are Indian, according to the US Embassy.
The United States is a popular study abroad destination for many international students, particularly those interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields, due to its reputation for excellent higher education, world-class institutions, and rich cultural diversity.
What is an F1 visa?
Anyone interested in attending a school in the United States—be it a university, college, high school, primary school, seminary, language training program, or any other kind of educational institution—can apply for a non-immigrant visa known as an F-1. Up until recently, graduate students from India with an F-1 visa could participate in up to twelve months of OPT before or after finishing their STEM degree programs. If they choose to go for a more advanced degree after high school, they can apply for an additional year of OPT.
The country is planning to modify its immigration policies in order to entice international students, however there were some problems with the postgraduate employment visa and its conversion to a work visa.
Why is the F-1 visa so attractive to students from India?
The United States is already a center for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and it is home to some of the best colleges in the world that train students from all over the globe to meet these challenges. Nevertheless, there is a wide range of costs associated with American higher education, depending on criteria such as degree program, region, and institution type. An annual tuition range of $32,000 to $60,000 is common for most programs. Also, between $10,000 and $18,000 a year is a significant increase in living expenses, 241% higher than in India.
Students in this situation are able to work in addition to their full-time academic commitments thanks to an F-1 visa. Under this program, students are able to work up to 20 hours per week when classes are in session and 40 hours per week while holidays are in session. The F-1 visa allows students to attend multiple schools or change majors within the five-year validity period by submitting a transfer request to the USCIS.
Students with F-1 visas are also eligible for Off-Campus Work (OPT) once they graduate. Applying for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows students to convert their student visa to an H-1B work visa for an initial three-year period, allowing them to stay in the US for longer and pursue employment. Nevertheless, dealing with Form I-765 for job authorization used to be a tedious and time-consuming process that took around 150-210 days (5-7 months) according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
F-1 visa requirements updated
With the goal of extending students' retention periods in the US, reducing the backlog, and improving processing speed, the USCIS announced in September 2022 a reform of employment authorization that would be effective from March 6. Under this regulation, certain groups of F-1 visa holders who major in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) or closely related fields can choose to extend their OPT for an extra 24 months in order to look for a job. They will have until the end of the extension period to apply for a new H-1B work visa or find a company that is prepared to sponsor them.
Improved expedited processing of job authorization is another key component of the new F-1 visa program. However, in order to apply for an H-1B work visa, a student on an F-1 visa must complete Forms I-907, Requesting Premium Processing Service, Employment Authorization (Forms I-129, I-140, and I-765). The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will assess and process the applications in 15 calendar days, down from 210 days, speeding up the turnaround time.