'Visa situation in US is absolutely f***': Indian students fear 70% drop as rejection rates soar

With just weeks to go before the fall 2025 semester begins, Indian students bound for U.S. universities are staring at unprecedented delays, rejection spikes, and mounting uncertainty over visa processing. A viral Reddit post on r/visarejections has captured the mood with brutal clarity: “Fall semester starts in like 2 weeks and most students don't even have their visa interviews done yet.”

The Reddit thread, titled "Guys, the US student visa situation is absolutely [messed] right now!", lays out the scale of disruption many students are facing. The author, currently trying to secure an F-1 visa appointment, wrote, “My consultant has been refreshing the visa appointment portal every single day, and there are literally NO SLOTS.”

They added that consultants in India are warning of a potential 70% drop in Indian students heading to the U.S. this fall, an alarming shift after India surpassed China in sending over 330,000 students last year.

Another quoted consultant from Hyderabad called the situation “the worst in years,” while some students who managed to book appointments complained they didn’t even receive confirmation emails. “Like what’s the point?” the user wrote.

The problems aren’t limited to appointment backlogs. Rejections under Section 214B, which deny a visa when an applicant cannot convince the officer that they intend to return home, are surging.

“Even students with clean profiles are getting rejected… My friend had everything perfect — good academics, family business, property — still got rejected.”

Some agents are reportedly seeing an 80% drop in approvals, prompting panic calls from families. “If slots aren't released in the next few days, thousands of dreams will be shattered,” one consultant warned.

The U.S. Consulate in Hyderabad has acknowledged the strain, stating they are “working to fully vet applicants” and advising students to “anticipate additional processing time.” Others say the U.S. is merely enforcing rules that had long existed but were previously applied more leniently.

The emotional post triggered a wave of sharply divided reactions online. Some sympathised, while others offered a more critical take, “No country is entitled to allow you in. They can decide how many students they wanna let in.”

“It is not messed up, just that rules are now strictly adhered to. Most students who want to pursue masters are freshers and have no idea about the what and why,” said another user.

A third user added, “I wonder why students are even coming to the USA when there are hardly any jobs for international students.”

The frustration has prompted some students to explore alternatives like Germany and other European countries with less opaque processes and stronger post-study work guarantees. The Reddit user summed it up grimly, “People spent 2 years preparing for this and now it might all be for nothing.”