More than 1 in 3 student visas denied

According to State Department data, in 2022, consular officers denied a record 220,676 student visas. This means 35%, or more than 1 in 3 student visa applicants, were denied; it is a much higher rate than other visa denials.

David Bier of the Cato institute attributes the change to a shift in the number of Chinese and Indian applications. Chinese visa applications that are granted 2 to 4 times more often than Indian applications are trending downward, which reduces a reliable stream of visa grants. Meanwhile, Indian visa applications that are more likely to be denied are up.

Bier writes of the overall reduction in student visas on a corresponding blog post, “This is a disaster as student visas are the jumping-off point for most skilled immigrants.” So the impacts will be felt by employers. It is also consequential for universities since the U.S. Department of State turned down 220,676 students who would have likely paid roughly $30,000 per year or $6.6 billion per year in tuition and living expenses. Over four years, that number rises to $26.4 billion in lost economic benefits to the United States. 

MHC (H/T David Biers, @David_J_Bier)