While considering fresh visa policies and expected cuts to funding for specific institutions, experts analyze what Indian learners should keep in mind before visiting the United States. The US government’s recent measures, including the cancellation of foreign student visas and slash in funding to educational institutions, has put the dreams of Indian overseas students pursuing their education in the US on hold.
The latest figures from the 2023-2024 academic year show that Indian citizens constitute the highest number of international students in the US, totaling 3.31 lakh. Among these, nearly 60 percent, or 1.96 lakh, were enrolled in postgraduate programs.
As for the learners traveling this year and those who intend to submit an application for the upcoming school year, education consultants and immigration lawyers have the following recommendations:
Viral Doshi, an educational consultant, has this piece of advice for undergraduate students: “Make arrangements to return to India after your studies are over.”
Be Prepared to Return After Graduating “For those coming to America, come for the adventure. But brace yourself. Landing an internship or a job will be much harder than it was previously,” he cautioned. He quoted the recent US Congressional proposal to scrap the Optional Practical Training OPT program, which allows foreign F1 students to work in the US for a limited time. He added, “More nationalism could mean that American jobs are prioritized in the MAGA scenario.” Many American businesses also seem to be confused regarding the possibility of international students working for a few years due to the ambiguous H1B visa policy.
Research and teaching assistantships are not dependable. As per Pratibha Jain, the CEO of Eduabroad Consulting highlighted that postgraduate pupils often look for fetching research assistantships as a means of partially subsidizing their upkeep in the US. It may not materialize due to its effect on university-sponsored research. It may be for the American citizen, even if it is less. So students must postpone acceptance until they have the money to travel if they have sufficient funds to cover 80% of their expenses and are counting on a research assistantship for the leftover 20%, she stated.
“Do not depend on these positions for financial aid, including on-campus employment such as teaching or research assistantships, or even hourly paid shifts. Students always arrive with cash at hand,” she stated as a finishing remark.
Observe the rules-there is no room for error.
Surely, there will be no compromise on this. The students must have an immaculate record; attendance has to be high. Our advice would be to get the academic preparation going by the students before they leave. There are not going to be any exceptions; keep this in mind, and ensure that you fulfill the academic and attendance requirements.
I mean, earlier I think this really happened when students were not meeting the grade, she explained. There were times when it would happen that because it was a significant transition for students, it would take them some time to adjust to the academic rigour, and that is why they used to be warned. The colleges were always lenient and gave them time to catch up. But not anymore.
Among the “simple offences”, students need to be aware of are driving without a license and reckless driving, which involves improper lane changes, and walking on the road while intoxicated, as stated by Chand Parvathaneni, a Texas lawyer who specializes in immigration. He said, “These are the few offenses that we have seen troubling with regard to their visas.”
“Basically, students are to do well in their classes, pay their tuition on time, and ensure that they are on a steady path to complete their degrees,” he said, deprecating academics.
Be Careful About What You post Online.
Consultants and attorneys are advising prospective students to exercise caution while posting anything on social media. Doshi has recommended being careful about any political activism done in private on social media.
According to Piyush Kumar, Regional Director-South Asia, Canada, Latin America, and Mauritius, IDP Education, “Students also have to be careful about what type of content they put up on their social media-ensure that the content does not in any way harm the social fabric or peace of the country.” As for UG, PG, and PhD aspirants applying or already with an offer, Kumar’s checklist reads:
Concentrate on your academic objectives. Observe university and visa regulations.
Send in all forms by hand.
Examine your bank records, visa, and I-20 thoroughly.
Have a backup finance plan on hand, such as student loans or personal savings.
Postgraduates: Think About Postponing Plans Jain cautioned postgraduate candidates to approach cautiously for the upcoming academic year, saying, “Postgraduate students are likely to be more affected.” While post-study employment, internships, and jobs will be impacted for a few years, the quality of education won’t be reduced.
Since the students are in four-year programs, she thinks undergraduates are safer because they have more time to stabilize.
“We are trying to encourage them to postpone it for a year or two so that they graduate in 2030 instead of 2028 if they are going to take out a loan and think that the job is that important for them; by that time, this upheaval may have stabilized, and prospects after graduation may become clearer,” she said.
“A lot of government jobs have been lost in America, and now Americans may be given preferential consideration for private sector jobs,” she said. If one takes a loan, the best choice may well be to postpone for a year.
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