HYDERABAD: Stricter visa checks and shrinking job opportunities are leaving thousands of Indian students in the US under severe financial stress.
Official data shows over 4,700 student visas were revoked in recent months for irregular attendance or unauthorised work. Surprise workplace inspections in several states have forced many to abandon the part-time jobs they relied on to pay rent and daily expenses.
“I used to manage my studies along with a restaurant job, working at least eight hours a day. But after the inspections, my employer let go of all student workers. My new job gives me just three hours a day—barely enough for groceries,” said a 25-year-old cyber security student in Los Angeles.
With incomes slashed, many students are cramming into shared housing. “I earned $1,200 a month earlier, enough to live decently. Now I make less than a quarter of that. Six of us share a two-bedroom apartment to cut costs,” said a 27-year-old computer science student in Atlanta. He added that he has stopped eating out, cancelled subscriptions, and trimmed every possible expense.
The financial squeeze is matched by fading career prospects. The Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme—once a gateway to US job experience—is offering fewer opportunities, while active enrolments from India dropped 28% year-on-year until March 2025.
“I came here believing it was an investment in my future. Instead, I’m constantly worried about rent and rules. If things don’t change, returning to India may be my only option,” said a 25-year-old IT graduate from Atlanta still job-hunting.
Consultants in India say they are warning new applicants. “This intake has been the worst in decades. Students already in the US are struggling, and those planning to move face no better prospects. We’re making sure they know the ground reality. The next few years will be tough,” said Chirandeep Patnaik of Lemma One Consulting.
