Indian Travel to US Drops 8% in June 2025 - Will This Trend Continue?
Indian Travel to US Drops 8% in June 2025 - Will This Trend Continue?
Indian travel to the US fell by 8% in June 2025, marking the first decline since 2001, excluding the Covid years. Around 210,000 Indians visited the US in June 2025, down from 230,000 in June 2024, according to data from the US Commerce Department’s National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO). This decline reflects a broader trend of reduced international visitors to the US in recent months, with a 6.2% overall drop in June 2025 compared to the previous year.
Several factors are contributing to the fall in Indian travel to the US, especially affecting students and professionals. Stricter visa rules introduced under the Trump administration and continued in 2025 have played a significant role. Key changes include tighter scrutiny of visa applicants, mandatory public social media profile disclosures, and a hefty $250 visa integrity fee added to most non-immigrant visa categories, which increases the cost for Indian travelers.
Moreover, the US has imposed a fixed four-year cap on student visas (F, J, and I visas), replacing the previous flexible "duration of status" model. This limits the length of stay for international students and makes renewals more cumbersome, touching off worries among Indian students about completing longer academic programs or securing post-study employment.
Processing times for US visas, including employment and student-related categories, have also increased, with several key immigration forms experiencing delays of several months, further slowing the issuance of travel documents critical for students and professionals relocating to the US.
Indian students, the largest group of foreign students in the US, have especially felt the impact. Delays in visa processing have resulted in some admitted students being unable to join their programs on time. Stricter enforcement policies, including new warnings by the US Embassy in India regarding legal compliance and visa revocation risks, have added uncertainty for Indian students and professionals. Violations can lead to deportation, visa cancellation, or permanent bans on re-entry, creating additional pressure.[8][9]
Professionals have also encountered hurdles due to stricter interviews and delays in processing employment visas such as H-1B. Though many Indians travel on 10-year multiple-entry visas, a slowdown in new visa issuance can affect future numbers.
The current trajectory suggests that Indian travel to the US may face further challenges unless visa policies and processing timelines improve. The recent provisional data for July 2025 shows a continued 5.5% drop compared to the previous year, indicating a sustained downward trend.
However, there are also legislative and policy discussions, such as the proposed "Dignity Act," which aims to make US entry easier for Indians with a simplified 90-day visa, but this is still under consideration and not yet law.
In summary, stricter visa regulations, higher fees, and longer processing times have hit Indian travelers hard, especially students and professionals. Unless these issues are addressed by the US administration, the decline in Indian travel to the US seen in 2025 may continue into the near future.
