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Another US blow to India as senator seeks curbs on work permits after student visa
Last year, India became the top sender of international students, with over 331,000 students overall studying in the US.
Amid the ongoing row over H-1B visa fee hike, Republican Senator Chuck Grassley on Wednesday called on the Department of Homeland Security to stop issuing work authorisations to student visa holders who, he said, "compete against Americans".
In a post on X, Grassley said, "DHS needs 2 stop issuing work authorisations 2 student visa holders who compete against Americans. It’s in direct violation of law & puts USA at risk of tech and corporate espionage. I sent a letter 2 DHS Scty Noem asking her to end work authorisations 4 foreign student visa holders."
If done, the move will likely include OPT (Optional Practical Training) authorisations, which will cut off a pathway for students to work in the US for around 12 to 36 months immediately after completing their degree.
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The latest remarks come against the backdrop of the Trump administration's recent move to hike the H-1B visa application fee to $100,000, which the White House said is a “one-time” fee. The new rules will only be applicable to new applicants, and will not impact the existing ones or those going for renewals.
Impact on Indian students
The move is also set to impact Indian students, who have been the highest in number to move to the US for education.
According to the US embassy, India became the top sender of international students in 2024 for the first time since the 2008-09 academic year, with over 331,000 students overall studying in America.
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It said that the number of Indian graduate students also increased by 19 per cent to reach almost 200,000 students.
However, according to data from the US Immigration, international student arrivals in July this year were significantly lower than those of 2024.
New student enrollment at US institutions is reportedly predicted to decline by about 50 per cent in the fall of 2025, with Indian students experiencing a nearly 50 per cent downward trend.
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Additionally, US President Donald Trump's decisions as part of his immigration crackdown have already prompted Indian students to rethink their "American Dream".
While the Trump administration has said that the new H-1B visa fee move is made to ensure that foreign workers are brought in for highly-skilled jobs that cannot be filled by American employees.
Trump has also argued that H-1B visa suppresses wages and sidelines qualified US workers, defending his move to tighten the rules on the issuance of such visas.
According to US government data, India was by far the largest beneficiary of the H-1B visas in 2024, accounting for 71 per cent of approved beneficiaries.
However, with the latest curbs on visas, Indian students are now rethinking their plans to pursue higher education and a career in the US.
According to the Indian government, the US hosted 465,000 Indian students in 2023, the most among the 1.3 million abroad, followed by Canada, the UK and Australia.
