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US Student Visa Paused By Trump; Students Exploring Germany, UK, Ireland, France as Alternative Destinations
Edited By Jasmine | Updated on May 30, 2025 05:27 PM IST
The Trump administration has notified all US embassies in the world to temporarily stop scheduling new student visa interviews for international students. The reason behind this major step is the requirement for social media vetting due to national security issues. Now, during an F1 visa interview, the US officials are planning to check the social media activity of all student visa applicants. Consular officers will be looking at posts, likes, comments, and shares on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter). This decision has impacted international students, especially Indian students aiming to study in USA. India has been one of the top contributors to the international student population in USA. In 2023-24, 602,031 Indian students chose to study in America. As a result of the latest information of Trump on student visa, some international students are reconsidering their study destinations. This recent development, which involves US student visa pause, has led many to look into other options like the UK, Ireland, Germany, and France, reflecting a clear shift in preferences towards countries with more relaxed immigration policies.
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How the Pause on the US Visa Interview Impacts International Students?
In the 2023-2024 academic year, international students contributed an impressive $43.8 billion to the US economy. The recent decision wherein Trump pauses student visa interviews worldwide has affected the international students, faculty, researchers, and institutions. The impacts are as mentioned below.
As the new academic year is about to commence, the pause on the F1 visa interview will cause delays.
The F1 visa processing time will slow down, which might impact university finances and the number of international students enrolling.
According to the critics social media vetting process will affect the privacy of US student visa applicants.
International students who need to renew their US student visa are also stuck till the pause is over.
Students who were planning to study in USA are now planning to aim for countries with more flexible visa processes, like Germany, UK, Australia, Ireland, France etc.
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Shift Towards Different Study Abroad Destinations
With the new strict policies regarding F1 visa interviews, wherein they have put a pause on new appointments at US embassies, students are looking for alternate study abroad destinations. Former Indian Ambassador to the United States, Arun Singh, is urging Indian students to think ahead and have a backup plan. It is better to be prepared for alternative options than to be stranded by the sudden policy reforms in the countries you aim for. He also emphasized that students who do not want to lose a year or semester should start exploring their options. "It’s a good idea to have alternatives, maybe a course in India or in another country,” he suggested. For example, Ireland has seen an increase in student applications and visa approvals of 30-40 percent in 2025. However, Canada has faced a drop in study permit approvals, issuing only 96,015 permits to Indian students in early 2025. As compared to 2024, 121,070 permits were given in Canada. Mentioned below are different study abroad destinations that students are now aiming for.
Germany: In the academic year 2023-2024, Germany welcomed 49,008 Indian students. These were the highest in number in comparison to other countries.
Ireland: In the academic year 2023-2024, Ireland welcomed 9,000 Indian students. The enrollments in 20222-2023 were 7,000. Hence, there has been an increase in the number of indian students aiming to study in Ireland.
France: In recent years, the number of Indian students in France has increased. France is aiming to welcome 30,000 Indian students by the year 2030. In 2024, there were 8,536 Indian students; in 2023, the number was 7,484, and in 2022, the number of Indian students studying in France was 6,406.
UK: In the year 2024, UK witnessed 98,890 Indian student enrollments. Even though it has decreased from the previous year, UK is still a favorable destination for many study abroad aspirants.
Australia: In 2023, Indian student enrollment was 1,22,391. This resulted in India being the second largest contributor of international students. However, Australia planned on putting a cap on the international student enrollment in 2025, limiting the number to 2,70,000.
Sweden: Currently, there are approximately 2,500 Indian students in Sweden. More and more students are aiming to study in this emerging study abroad destination.
The ongoing policy reforms between the trump administration and international students, wherein Trump pauses the student visa interviews, is a temporary situation. This will be resolved, but it is advisable to have an alternate plan. Understanding alternative study abroad destinations is a good option for aspiring students.
Explore More Study Abroad Destinations:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why is the US visa interview taking so long?
The US visa interview has been paused by the Trump administration temporarily. This is because they are planning to conduct social media vetting of the applicants before issuing a visa. This step is an initiative for national security, the prevention of pro-Palestinian protests and to reduce the number of international students in the United States.
2. What is the 120 day rule for US visas?
The 120 day rule for US student visas allows the visas to be issued as early as 120 days before the start date of the program, as mentioned on the I-20 Form. However, keep in mind that you can not enter the US more than 30 days before the program start date.
3. Is it possible to get a US visa without an interview?
Yes, it is possible to obtain a US student visa without going through an interview, but this is only applicable in certain situations. For this, the applicant might get a waiver if they have previously held any type of US visa.
4. Can US visa be rejected after interview?
Yes, US student visa can be rejected even after an interview is conducted. A consular officer has the authority to deny a visa application at any stage of the process, including after the interview, if they find the applicant ineligible.
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Questions related to
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Hi there
Yes you can try to learn various courses that are for approximately 3 months to 6 months in duration.
Yes you can learn before going to us. Learning skills definitively adds some value to the life of a candidate and also improves in getting good recognition in life..
Below i have mentioned some courses that you can try before visiting us:
- Social media marketing
- Content writer
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- Makeup artist course
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So these are some courses you can try.
Hope this answer will help you. Revert incase of any query.
Thank you and good luck:)
Anushri Varshney 12 June,2022
Hello Samarasimha,
YES, you can MS in UA after completing Bsc in Statistics. . All you have to do is score good marks in your PG and prepare for GRE. You should also decide upon the country and the university in which you are going to study.
Furthermore, the requirements to pursue MS in USA are as follows :
- 3 to 4 years bachelors degree in relevant field.
- 3.5 or higher GPA, equivalent to 87% in bachelors.
- GRE score of 330 or above.
- Statement of Purpose.
- Research Internships/ Published Research Papers.
- Project work/Seminars.
- 2-3 Letter of Recommendation.
- Social & Leadership Activities.
Further, requirements for Software jobs in USA are as follows :
- Enroll in a software development program. The first step to becoming a software engineer is to enroll in a software development degree program. ...
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- Choose your specialty. ...
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- Continue your education.
I hope that this will help.
Piyush kesarwani 13 May,2022
Dear aspirant hope you are doing well..
To study at foreign universities/abroad in U. S , the admission process will require the candidate to give one language exam and one standardized exam. However, depending on the country, course, college, or university you are applying for you may be exempted from standardized exams. The language test will showcase your English proficiency skills. These exams are required for pursuing almost all courses abroad. Different countries have different language exams such as
- TOEFL exam for getting admission to the universities in the US and Canada. The score of this exam is valid for two years after the declaration of results
- There are plenty of universities abroad where you can apply to do master-level course, MSc in statistics, MSc in Operation Research, and Applied Mathematics, MSc in Mathematical Modeling, etc are some of the Master level Course in Mathematics that are available abroad. Students who have completed their graduation or bachelor's degree in Mathematics can apply for these courses. Foreign universities like Uppsala University, Dublin City University, Oxford Brookes University, University of York, University of Liverpool, etc offer all the above-mentioned courses in mathematics.
Top university of The USA for master degree courses
- John Carroll University
- Missouri University of Science and Technology
- Michigan State University
- West Virginia University
- Rhode Island College
- University of Arkansas
- Vanderbilt University
- DePaul University
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- Texas A&M University-Commerce
- University of South Florida
- California State University Northridge
You can get the detailed information about the process how to apply for MS in USA. read the given article. Link is given below
https://studyabroad.careers360.com/articles/how-apply-for-ms-in-usa/amp
Hope it's helpful for you..
Thank you
AVINASH KUMAR 23 February,2022
There are many ways to choose your university such as fees, the ranking of the university, which state it is located and scholarships. My suggestion is to choose your research focus and write academic papers. In the US, PhD in Commerce admission into the university depends on what you want to study (your area of research) and your already completed research papers. You can begin your research by searching online for US universities offering PhD in Business Administration. One example is University of California Los Angeles (https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/phd-program/admissions#app-req) .
Tabitha 08 January,2022
Hello Student
You are aBHM means Bachelor in Hotel Management so after doing BHM,to gain a bright future inthis trade you have to do MSc in Hotel Management,post graduation in Hospitality Management,Master degree in travel and tourism management,or MBA in hotel management,AFter doing post graduation in Hotel management or travel and tourism management will give you the best return in employment opportunity.
Hope this will help.
Sohamsengupta8 13 February,2022
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