India, China hit hardest by Trump’s tougher visa policies: report

A report said India and China were the worst affected by tougher US visa policies under Donald Trump, with 2.5 lakh fewer visas issued in 2025. Declines were seen across student, work and family visa categories

Washington: India and China bore the maximum brunt of the tougher immigration policy unveiled by the Trump administration, which issued 2.5 lakh fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, according to a media report.

From January to August 2025, the State Department approved 11 per cent fewer permanent resident and temporary visas compared with the same period a year earlier, according to data released by the department in early March.

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These visas are generally issued to students, workers and family members of citizens and legal residents.

The 11 per cent drop does not include tourist visas, which also fell during the same period, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.

According to the report, visas for Chinese and Indian nationals fell by about 84,000 compared with the same period in 2024, largely reflecting a drop in international students and workers from those countries.

Business and tourism visas declined by about 3.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, a drop of nearly two lakh visas.

Between January and August 2024, the US had issued more than 3.44 lakh student visas; the number declined to a little over 2.38 lakh during the same period in 2025.

The family preference visa category, which includes adult children and siblings of US citizens, fell by more than 27 per cent, or by over 44,000.

Visas issued to sea and airline workers also declined by 30,876, while those issued to cultural exchange visitors fell by 29,594.

Visas issued to fiance/spouse applicants declined from 37,229 in the first eight months of 2024 to 18,894 during the same period in 2025.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement that “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to put American citizens first, and every policy decision he has made has reflected that priority.”

In a statement to The Washington Post, State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said: “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Unlike the Biden administration, President Trump is not willing to compromise the safety of American citizens to allow mass migration of unvetted foreign nationals into our country.”