The last fiscal year 2023-2024, which lasted from October to September recorded the lowest number of F-1 Visa acceptance in the States. The visa is designed to allow foreign students to study in the US which is a highly esteemed destination among students from all countries.
Data by the US State Department that was analysed and reported by the Indian Express confirmed over 6.79 applications were sent in 2023-2024 and over 2.79 were rejected. This visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows foreign students to stay in the United States for a fixed period. It differs from the M-1 visa, which provides vocational and non-academic opportunities to students.
The decline is more compared to the last fiscal and it has been reported that over 38 per cent decrease has been seen in the first nine months itself. It has been further noted that the decrease in the number of students has risen despite the overall reduction in the rate of applicants.
A Department of State spokesperson confirmed that due to changes in methods of collecting data from 2019 onwards, the rate of admission of applicants which unlike the previous methodology based on workload, counts the specific visa outcomes in a given period.
This new method further keeps updating in different fiscal years so the numbers may not reflect the exact retention and rejection, the spokesperson confirmed. Clearing the clouds of doubt regarding the F-1 visa applications.
