The number of US student visas grew significantly in 2022, marking the largest annual increase in over a decade, except for pandemic-related years. The US Department of State issued more than 411,000 student visas during this period, a 15% rise from the previous year and the highest total in six years.
However, despite the surge in visa numbers, the approval rate for F-1 visas dropped from 80% in 2021 to just 65% in 2022, mostly due to fraudulent practices by some Desi employers in the USA.
India witnessed a remarkable 43% increase in student visas issued from 2021 to 2022, surpassing China as a potential leading source of international students for the US.
Although the US student visa growth is a positive sign, it still trails behind competing destination markets like Canada and the UK, which experienced higher annual growth rates in the same period.
Asian countries remain significant contributors to the rising number of US student visas, with seven out of the top eight nations showing the largest increase in student visas issued from 2021 to 2022 being from Asia.
