Indian Advocacy Group Calls for Suspension of New Visa Rules for Students in the U.S.
An advocacy group representing the Indian diaspora urged U.S. Congress and the Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Monday to pause the newly introduced four-year visa cap for students and exchange visitors.
Khanderao Kand, who leads Policy and Strategy at the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS), expressed concern that this new rule could harm U.S. competitiveness. He stated, “This is a self-inflicted wound on US competitiveness.”
This plea follows a recent tightening of immigration rules for foreign students, exchange visitors, and journalists, which ends the previous policy that allowed for indefinite stays without strict oversight.
Kand highlighted that a four-year limit does not reflect the realities of modern education. For instance, the average time to complete a bachelor’s degree is around 52 months, while obtaining a PhD can take about 5.7 years. He mentioned that the USCIS is currently managing over 11 million cases, often with processing times exceeding a year. “Students may be forced to leave their programs midway, which could result in a loss of talent in important research areas, ultimately benefiting global competitors,” he warned.
The FIIDS is asking the U.S. administration to delay the implementation of these new rules to protect students and ensure the continued growth of research and innovation in the country.
“If the aim is to maintain integrity in the system, it should not come at the expense of degree completion pathways that support American labs and startups,” Kand added.
The FIIDS also pointed out a concerning trend: international student enrollments dropped by 17% in the Fall of 2025, the largest decline since the pandemic began, with 96% of educational institutions citing visa-related worries. These international students collectively contribute about $55 billion to the U.S. economy each year, and the decline equates to roughly $1.1 billion in lost revenue and nearly 23,000 fewer jobs.
The organization is encouraging Congress to propose legislation that would restore longer stay durations for F-1 and J-1 visas and establish specific exemptions for graduate STEM programs that typically take longer than 48 months to complete, suggesting an extension up to 64 months.
Furthermore, they are advocating for the exclusion of OPT/STEM OPT from the new visa duration count and the reinstatement of a 60-day grace period for students. The FIIDS also called on the USCIS to consider providing administrative relief before the new rules take effect in mid-September, including automatic extensions for students currently in good standing in programs that align with median completion times exceeding 48 months.
