Planning to study abroad? Think before you spend a fortune as visa rules get stricter in US, UK, Canada

Studying overseas to settle is quite common among Indian students. There are many success stories which inspire many more. A number of international students from India — in the recent past — have managed to settle their base in countries such as the US, Canada, UK, Germany and even off-beat places such as Poland, Austria and Sweden.

Much to the chagrin of Indian students, however, visa rules in some of these countries have undergone a radical change, as a result of which Indian students find it hard, or at least dissuaded from opting for the study route to settle there.

Here, we encapsulate the details relating to visa rules rolled out in these sought-after destinations in the recent past:

Visa rules affecting international students from India:

I. Canada: This North American destination is the queen of all study-abroad destinations, particularly for Indian students. However, the number of visa approvals is likely to fall considerably.

Canada has announced a two-year cap on new international student visas. Immigration Minister Marc Miller shared data showing that 364,000 new permits will be approved in 2024, a 35 per cent decrease from the 560,000 such documents issued last year.

Indian students protested against Canada’s anti-immigration policies, which they felt could lead to deportation. International students from India camped before the legislative assembly in Canada’s Prince Edward Island (PEI) province.

II. United Kingdom: According to a British Council report, India is the largest source of Graduate route participants among students worldwide and saw 68 per cent growth in 2023.

In January 2023, the British government phased out dependent visas for students, which now prevents international students from bringing family members to the country. The only exception to this rule is students studying for a research programme such as PhD or post-doctoral studies.

In fact, in March 2023, migrant care workers were also barred from bringing their partners and children to the country.

The new visa restrictions also prevented international students from leaving the student route and entering work before completing their studies.

III. USA: Getting an H-1 B visa in America is no mean feat. But as they now say, it is just a beginning. Being able to get a green card can be nightmarish. Social media is riddled with the sob stories of Indian immigrants who are either struggling to get an H1B or facing a long wait for a green card.

A number of people say that going to the US for studies is not wise since, after completing studies, chasing an H1B visa could be your full-time job.

With the Donald Trump-led Republican government likely to return to the White House after the U.S. presidential elections, the visa norms for potential immigrants could get even tougher. 

However, the good news is that some other countries have made the visa process slightly easier. Germany, for example, has reduced the processing time for work visas from nine months to two weeks. According to the German Economic Institute (IW), in 2023, Germany had around 570,000 job vacancies.

Also, in 2023, France announced a five-year post-study visa for students pursuing master’s degrees there. French president Emmanuel Macron, as a chief guest on Republic Day, also announced the goal of welcoming 30,000 Indian students to France by 2030. This number currently stands at around 10,000.

“For many popular destinations, getting a student visa has become tougher and, I might add, costlier. But that might not hinder students from getting the best overseas education they possibly can. There are more than 1.3 million Indian students studying abroad, and this number is going to go up. We only have to strategise and start planning for it better,” says Rozy Efzal, Co Founder and Director, Invest4Edu