US student visa freeze wrecks plans of hundreds in Gujarat

Time of India

3 days ago

Ahmedabad: As the clock ticks toward the Sep semester, hundreds of US-bound students from Gujarat find themselves in an agonizing wait. The student visa appointment system has been dormant since May 27, disrupting carefully laid plans for higher education, and leaving futures hanging in balance.
Despite having valid I-20 certificates and paying visa fees, many are stuck with no interview dates in sight. The anxiety is growing, and so is the financial strain.
Many students have already spent up to Rs 1 lakh on coaching, entrance exams, university application fees and preparatory processes. Now, with visa appointments stalled, they fear missing out on the Sep intake altogether.
"At least 40 of our students are stuck waiting for appointment dates.
They have paid fees, planned their lives, and are now staring at the prospect of deferring their admission or changing countries," said Bhavin Thaker, an overseas education consultant from Ahmedabad.
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Ajay Singh, Gujarat head of SIEC Education, said, "This is causing immense stress. These students planned meticulously. Delays like this mean gaps in education, extended academic timelines, and added expenses. Universities have been flexible, but the bottleneck is at the visa end."
The freeze began in late May when the US govt paused student and exchange visa appointments to implement stricter screening procedures, especially new requirements related to applicants' social media history. On June 26, the US Embassy in India clarified via social media that all applicants must now disclose usernames for every social media platform used over the past five years on their DS-160 visa forms. Failing to do so, it warned, could result in denial or future ineligibility.
This announcement has fuelled anxiety among students. "There's confusion around how much information is too much or too little," said Thaker. "Even having private accounts or deleting old profiles is being seen as risky."
Immigration consultants state that many fear that having "radical" or politically charged content on their social media or even making their profiles private or creating fresh accounts could be seen as red flags by consular officers.
The rising stringency has coincided with a surge in visa rejections. Consultants estimate refusal rates have reached as high as 50% in some categories. "This year, we have seen a 40% drop in the number of students applying for the US from Gujarat alone," said Thaker. "The unpredictability of approvals, stricter scrutiny, and recent deportation reports have discouraged many prospective applicants."
The uncertainty has triggered a shift in preferences. While healthcare-related programmes like physiotherapy, nursing, and pharmacy still draw interest, enthusiasm for traditional tech-focused streams like computer science and IT is slipping. As a consequence, many students are shifting their gaze elsewhere. Australia has emerged as the most sought-after alternative, followed by the UK for students from Gujarat.
Meanwhile, those who have already received I-20s and paid their visa fees remain on edge. But with no clarity in sight, their future hangs in the balance.