India and China suffered the most from the Trump administration’s tougher immigration policies, which resulted in 2.5 lakh fewer visas issued in the first eight months of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024, a media report said.
From January to August 2025, the State Department approved 11 per cent fewer permanent resident and temporary visas than in the same period a year earlier, according to State Department data released in early March. These visas are typically issued to students, workers, and family members of US citizens and legal residents. The 11 per cent decline does not include tourist visas, which also fell over the same period, the Washington Post reported.
Visas for Chinese and Indian nationals dropped by about 84,000 compared with the same period in 2024, largely reflecting fewer 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 a year earlier, a decrease of nearly two lakh visas.
Student visas issued between January and August fell from more than 3.44 lakh in 2024 to a little over 2.38 lakh in 2025. Family preference visas, which include adult children and siblings of US citizens, fell by more than 27 per cent — a drop of over 44,000. Visas for sea and airline workers were reduced by 30,876, and those for cultural exchange visitors declined by 29,594. Fiancé/spouse visas fell from 37,229 in the first eight months of 2024 to 18,894 in the same period of 2025.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “President Trump was elected with a resounding mandate to put American citizens first and every policy decision he’s made has reflected that priority.” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott told The Washington Post, “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.”
