Just last week, the United States government published a sweeping rule in the Federal Register that fundamentally changes what studying abroad in America means for international students - including Indian talent. The 'Duration of Status' framework that gave international students flexible, open-ended stays in the US is gone. In its place: a fixed four-year admission window, a grace period slashed from 60 to 30 days after graduation, and a post-study environment where uncertainty has become the default.
F-1 visa rejections for Indian applicants already hit 44% in the 2024-2025 cycle. Canada cut student visas by 70% in the first half of 2025. The rupee sits at 96 to the dollar. A four-year US undergraduate degree now costs an Indian family anywhere between INR 90 lakh and INR 1.8 crore (bare minimum), before the currency keeps moving.
