A fresh immigration memo from the US government has added to growing unease among Indian students planning to study in America, with founders of study abroad platforms warning that repeated uncertainty around visas, work permits and long-term settlement pathways is beginning to reshape student preferences globally.
The memo from the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, released last week, reiterates that obtaining permanent residency from within the US is a discretionary benefit rather than an automatic entitlement. While the move does not change immigration law directly, industry executives said it strengthens an already growing perception that the US is becoming harder to navigate for international students seeking long-term career opportunities after graduation.
“The broader message the US is sending right now is that immigration pathways are getting tougher and tougher. You’ve already had tighter OPT and STEM OPT scrutiny, uncertainty around the H-1B lottery, and now this,” said Mayank Kumar, co-founder and former managing director of upGrad.
Settlement no longer a certainty
For years, the US remained the default overseas education destination for Indian students not just because of its universities, but because it offered a broader pathway combining education, jobs and eventual settlement.
That equation, founders say, is now beginning to weaken.
“The value proposition of a US degree is gradually being re-rated, especially for students whose goal is career mobility and eventual settlement, not just the classroom experience,” upGrad’s Kumar said.
The shift is becoming increasingly important for India’s study abroad ecosystem, where counselling conversations have historically revolved heavily around post-study employment opportunities and long-term immigration prospects.
Moneycontrol had earlier reported that uncertainty around H-1B policies and rising visa costs had already started pushing Indian students towards alternatives such as Germany, Japan and Poland. Founders now say the latest USCIS memo adds to a broader stack of immigration anxieties that students and parents have been dealing with over the last two years.
“There has been a stacking of negative or ambiguous immigration signals over the last few years, and many students now view the US as a highly volatile market from an immigration standpoint,” said Piyush Bhartiya, founder and CEO of AdmitKard – a study abroad platform.
According to Bhartiya, the latest memo alone is unlikely to immediately alter application numbers because green card pathways still feel distant for most students entering undergraduate or master’s programmes. However, the cumulative effect of repeated uncertainty is already reshaping student sentiment.
Europe gains ground
As concerns around the US grow, students are increasingly evaluating destinations perceived to offer more predictable immigration systems and clearer post-study pathways.
“We are already seeing students actively prioritising alternatives such as Germany, Ireland, France and the Netherlands because they perceive those markets to offer greater regulatory stability,” Bhartiya of AdmitKard said. “Europe has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this shift.”
Germany in particular is emerging as a strong alternative for cost-conscious Indian students looking for long-term work opportunities abroad.
“Globally, whenever one country tightens immigration pathways, others tend to benefit. Europe, particularly Germany, is likely to gain from this shift,” upGrad’s Kumar said.
The shift is also being aided by broader mobility discussions between India and European countries around visa frameworks, recognition agreements and skilled migration pathways, executives said.
At the same time, uncertainty around Optional Practical Training, the programme that allows international students to work in the US after graduation, remains a bigger near-term concern for students than green card rules themselves.
“Discussions around restricting or cancelling OPT, or limiting student visas to shorter durations, continue to create uncertainty even if no final decisions have been made yet,” Bhartiya of AdmitKard added.
Industry urges caution against overreaction
Even as concerns rise, some founders cautioned against interpreting the USCIS memo as a direct policy overhaul.
Akshay Chaturvedi, founder and CEO of Leverage Edu, said the memo largely reiterates existing immigration principles and discretionary powers already available to authorities.
“It’s important to read the USCIS memo for what it is: a reminder of existing discretionary authority, and not a statutory change to the immigration code. The memo introduces no new law, rather simply reiterates that Adjustment of Status has always been a discretionary benefit, not an automatic entitlement, and that applications must be evaluated on the totality of circumstances,” Chaturvedi said.
According to Chaturvedi, students who maintain lawful status and comply with visa requirements continue to remain well-positioned despite the rhetoric around tightening immigration scrutiny.
Still, founders acknowledged that perception itself is becoming a challenge for the US in the Indian market.
For many students and families making expensive overseas education decisions, the concern is increasingly shifting from a single policy change to a broader question of whether the US remains a stable long-term bet compared to emerging alternatives across Europe.