The American dream for international students no longer just dims— it flickers. Misunderstood as a Trump-era phenomenon, immigration pressures began earlier. Complex visa rules, costly delays, and risks of deportation over minor issues have always burdened international students. In 2024, Indians made up 27% of all international students in the U.S. The long-standing “America First” policy, revived under Trump, didn’t create this system but magnified it. This raises serious questions about the future value of India’s investment in U.S. education
Most mornings, Rohan Purohit wakes before dawn in his shared apartment near a New York City campus. He juggles coursework, a research assistantship, and the quiet pressure of being nearly 13,000 kilometres from home. A graduate student from Mumbai, Rohan came to the U.S. seeking a world-class education and a path to professional success. Lately, that sense of hope is shrinking.
Conversations with fellow international students drift from deadlines to visa delays, rescinded scholarships, financial struggles, a saturated job market, and the shrinking margin of error. “You brace yourself for homesickness, social adjustment and a competitive job market,” he says. “But the looming fear of losing everything overnight wears you down.”
For many Indian students like Rohan, the American dream is now more fragile than they were led to believe. This fragility isn’t just personal—it’s political. The uncertainty shaping their lives stems not only from circumstance but from deliberate policy decisions.
Often misunderstood as a Trump-era phenomenon, the immigration squeeze on international students predates his presidency. For years, students have walked a tightrope, navigating complex visa categories, costly and bureaucratic status changes, and the constant threat of deportation over minor clerical errors. The long-standing Republican “America First” policy, revived under Trump, didn’t create this system—it intensifies it.
When Trump returned to the White House in early 2025, his administration’s first blow to international students came through a quiet bureaucratic shift. In April, over 1,800 F-1 and J-1 student visas were abruptly revoked—without warning or explanation. Nearly half were Indian nationals, now the largest group of international students in the U.S. According to SEVIS, the Homeland Security portal tracking foreign students and visitors, Indians made up 27% of the international student population in 2024. Inside Higher Ed reported that fewer than 2% of the Indian students affected had any known ties to campus activism.
More than 300,000 Indian students currently study at American universities, contributing over $8 billion annually to tuition and local economies (IIE Open Doors Report 2024). According to NAFSA, a global nonprofit for international education and exchange, in 2023 alone, international students added more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy, including $43.8 billion exclusively on education. Yet, despite their significant economic contributions, the administration remains unmoved by the human toll.