\n<\/p>\n
The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas could prove to be the final straw for Indian students\u2019 plans to study in the U.S., with other destinations set to benefit as a result.<\/p>\n
The move by the Trump administration\u2014the latest in a long list of restrictions affecting international students\u2014is set to impact Indians the most, given they account for more than 70\u00a0percent of H-1B recipients.<\/p>\n
Many students enroll in courses with a view to progressing on to the visa, working in industries such as Silicon Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sentiment among prospective\u00a0\u2026 students is pretty dismal after this announcement,\u201d said Sonya Singh, founder of SIEC, an education consultancy.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe queries and applications for U.S. universities have seen a significant drop, and students are considering alternatives. Destinations such as the U.K., Germany and Australia are being explored, and Canada is proposing a dedicated work permit for current and potential U.S. H-1B holders. All these initiatives and policy changes are sure to bring about a massive shift in demand for the U.S. as a destination.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sagar Bahadur, executive director for Asia at international education consultancy Acumen, said the debate has created \u201ca lot of talk, anxiety and perception-building\u201d among prospective students.<\/p>\n
He noted that students are increasingly deferring study plans, exploring alternative destinations or considering \u201ctransnational pathways\u201d that allow them to start degrees elsewhere before moving to the U.S. if conditions improve.<\/p>\n
Pankaj Mittal, secretary general of the Association of Indian Universities, said the fee hike was \u201cshaking things up for Indian students eyeing the U.S. for education and careers.\u201d<\/p>\n
With uncertain job prospects and shifting policies, she argued, parents may no longer be willing to pay high tuition fees.<\/p>\n
\u201cCountries like Germany, Canada, Australia, U.K., Singapore and Malaysia may gain traction due to stable policies, work opportunities and affordability,\u201d Mittal said, highlighting Germany\u2019s free or low-cost tuition and work allowances as a growing draw for Indian students.<\/p>\n
She also warned of wider repercussions for international collaboration. \u201cThis decision may impact partnerships with U.S. institutions as Indian universities explore alternatives and strengthen ties with European, Canadian or Australian institutions. STEM and health-care sectors may be particularly affected due to high H-1B dependency.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early signs of a shift are already emerging. Narender Thakur of the University of Delhi noted declining interest in short U.S. master\u2019s courses in computing and engineering, fields closely tied to H-1B pathways.<\/p>\n
He suggested that students may increasingly consider other global destinations or branch campuses in India, while research partnerships with U.S. institutions could slow. Opportunities in entrepreneurship and remote work may also appeal to students deterred from U.S. employment.<\/p>\n
Andrew Morran, head of politics and international relations at London Metropolitan University, said the policy would \u201cparticularly hit Indian students, who last year made up 71\u00a0percent of international student applications, according to U.S. government statistics.\u201d<\/p>\n
He described the move as part of a broader trend restricting access to U.S. universities and warned it could make study in the U.S. \u201ceven more the preserve of the elite and the wealthy\u201d while undermining classroom diversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will also impact the student experience, as diversity is undermined and the shared experience of a global classroom is weakened further,\u201d Morran said. Universities might seek students elsewhere, he added, but the hostile political climate and attacks on immigration could blunt recruitment.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalent gaps cannot be filled overnight. Meanwhile, the rest of the world will take every opportunity it has to steal these students,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new $100,000 fee for H-1B visas could prove to be the final straw for Indian students\u2019 plans to study in the U.S., with other destinations set to benefit as a result. The move by the Trump administration\u2014the latest in a long list of restrictions affecting international students\u2014is set to impact Indians the most, given<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[9232,4572,1319,2328,678,202],"class_list":{"0":"post-25642","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-h1b","9":"tag-indian","10":"tag-price","11":"tag-shock","12":"tag-students","13":"tag-visa"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25642\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}