Not just H-1B: India hit hard by decline in dependent and student visas

It's not just H1B, other visa issuances have also been hit

It’s not just work visas that are pinching Indian families and professionals.

A Moneycontrol analysis of US immigration data shows that dependent and education-linked categories—H4, F1, L1 and L2 visas—have all witnessed steep declines for Indians over the past three years, even as China and several other countries recorded gains.

H4 visas, typically issued to spouses and children of H-1B holders, fell 34 percent to 46,982 during the five months to May 2025 from 71,130 in the same period in 2023. By contrast, Mexico nearly doubled its issuances, while Ghana, South Africa and the Philippines posted strong increases. China, too, recorded a 10.7 percent rise.

The squeeze is sharper for students. F1 visas for India collapsed 35 percent to just 11,484 this year from nearly 17,800 in 2023. Meanwhile, China saw close to a 10 percent increase, Vietnam rose more than 40 percent, and Nepal surged more than 260 percent. Smaller countries such as Zimbabwe and Kenya also posted triple-digit growth.

L1 visas—used for intra-company transfers—fell nearly 28 percent for Indians since 2023, while L2, issued to dependents of such workers, declined almost 38 percent. China, by contrast, recorded a 64 percent rise in L1 and a 43 percent rise in L2 approvals, alongside boosts for Israel, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brazil.

Among South Asian peers, India’s decline is the most severe. Nepal bucked the trend with dramatic increases in F1 (up 262 percent) and L2 (up 113 percent), while Bangladesh managed steady gains across H4 (28 percent) and F1 (5 percent). Pakistan fared better, too, with F1 visas nearly doubling and H4 up 40 percent. Sri Lanka’s trajectory was mixed, with H4 rising sharply but student visas falling.

The data underscores a double hit for India. While the high-profile H1B route has shrunk by more than a third in two years, the family and education pathways that usually complement it have also dried up. US President Donald Trump’s latest decision to charge $100,000 annually for H-1B applicants is expected to further hurt Indian prospects of realising the “American dream.”

An earlier Moneycontrol analysis had shown that H-1B approvals for Indians declined 37 percent between 2023 and 2025, with the decline beginning in the final year of the presidency of former President Joe Biden. By contrast, for other countries, especially China, Southeast Asia and even parts of South Asia, the window into US work and education remains far more open.