As per latest reports, 41% of F-1 visa applications were denied in fiscal year 2023–2024 (October 2023–September 2024), the highest percentage in ten years.
Compared to the fiscal year 2014, this rejection rate is almost double.
41% of F-1 Visa Applications Denied in 2023-2024
2.79 lakh of the 6.79 lakh F-1 applications that were submitted in 2023–2024 were rejected.
In contrast, 2.53 lakh (36%) of the 6.99 lakh applications that were received in 2022–2023 were denied. The US State Department did not share country-specific denial data.
However, compared to the same period in 2023, the number of student visas granted to Indians between January and September of 2024 decreased by 38%, according to The Indian Express.
Prior to a steady decline to 1.62 lakh in 2019–20 (the COVID year), F-1 applications peaked in 2014–15 at 8.56 lakh.
After the pandemic, applications increased once more, but decreased by 3% in 2023–2024.
In 2023–2024, the 2.79 lakh rejections mark the highest percentage rejection rate in a decade.
In 2023–2024, 4.01 lakh F-1 visas were granted, compared to 4.45 lakh in 2022–2023.
According to the US State Department, under immigration law, each visa decision is evaluated individually.
Additionally, it noted a shift in data methodology starting in FY 2019 that now more precisely tracks visa outcomes over time.
Because of this new system, monthly issuance data should not be added up to determine annual numbers.
Only annual reports—not monthly ones—publish the final numbers of visas issued and denied.
Compared to 1.03 lakh in 2023, 63,973 visas were granted to Indian students for the January–September 2024 period.
For comparison, during the same time period in 2021 and 2022, 65,235 and 93,181 visas were issued, respectively.
29.4% of International Students Were Indian
In 2023–2024, 29.4% of international students were Indian, making them the largest group of international students in the US.
The largest number of Indian students in the United States was 3.31 lakh in 2023–2024.
Denials of F-1 visas are on the rise as other nations tighten their regulations for international students.
Citing pressures from housing and services, Canada capped study permits in 2024, causing a 35% decrease from 2023.
In 2025, Canada intends to reduce study permits by an additional 10%.
Some British universities saw a 40% decrease in student enrollment as a result of the UK’s restrictions on foreign students’ ability to bring dependents.
