India, July 21 -- The United States is tightening its student visa approvals. In the 2023-24 academic year, 6.79 lakh F-1 visa applications were filed. Of these, 2.79 lakh were rejected, about 41%, and Indian students made up a large portion of that number (U.S. government data). Many students who once saw the U.S. as the only option for quality education are now rethinking their plans.

On the other hand, job opportunities are also narrowing. A study by economist Andrew Flowers (Indeed) found a significant drop in interest from Indian, Pakistani, and UK job seekers for tech roles in the U.S. The appeal of the West, long driven by higher salaries and global exposure, is fading in specific sectors.

India currently has over 1168 universiti...