New US Visa Rules Could Hurt Research, Innovation, Says FIIDS

An Indian diaspora advocacy organisation has appealed to the US Congress and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to suspend the implementation of the newly announced four-year cap on visas for international students and exchange visitors, warning that the move could undermine America's global leadership in education, research and innovation.

The appeal came from the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) following recent changes to US immigration rules that replace the earlier system allowing eligible students and exchange visitors to remain in the country for the duration of their academic programmes without fixed time limits.

Khanderao Kand, FIIDS' Chief of Policy and Strategy, described the policy as a " self-inflicted wound on US competitiveness." He argued that the four-year cap does not align with the actual duration of many academic programmes, noting that bachelor's degrees typically take around 52 months to complete, while doctoral programmes average 5.7 years.

Kand also pointed to the USCIS backlog of more than 11 million pending cases, with processing often taking nearly a year. According to him, the new rule could force students to leave before completing their studies or research, disrupting universities, laboratories and innovation-driven industries.

FIIDS urged the US administration to delay implementation, protect students already enrolled and adopt measures that preserve America's research ecosystem. The organisation said the objective of maintaining visa integrity should not come at the expense of higher education and scientific advancement.

Citing education sector data, FIIDS said new international student enrolments declined 17 per cent in Fall 2025, the sharpest drop since the pandemic, with most institutions attributing the fall to visa-related concerns. International students contribute an estimated USD 55 billion annually to the US economy.

The group also called on lawmakers to restore the earlier duration-of-stay framework for F-1 and J-1 visas, exempt longer STEM graduate programmes, exclude OPT/STEM OPT from visa duration calculations, restore the 60-day grace period, and grant automatic extensions before the new rules take effect.