Only 3.45% of Indian students overstay in US

Given the large number of students from China and India that flock to US educational institutes each year, only a handful overstay their welcome.

Of the total number of 16.62 lakh overseas students who completed their studies during the 12-month period ending September 30, 2017, 4.15% overstayed – in other words, they did not depart from the US at the end of their study and practical training program. These statistics were released last week by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its ‘Overstay Report’. The data does not include students from Canada and Mexico.

Nearly 1.30 lakh Indian students were expected to leave the US during the 2017 fiscal (October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2017). Of this, 3.45% overstayed. The overstay rate for Chinese students was 3.33% (see table).

An overstay occurs if an individual who is lawfully admitted to the United States of America for an authorised period remains in the country beyond this tenure. The report explains that the authorised period can be a fixed time frame or can be for the duration of a certain activity – such as the period during which a student is pursuing studies and practical training.

DHS identifies two types of overstays. If no departure is recorded, the individual falls in the category of ‘Suspected In-Country Overstays’. On the other hand, those whose departures are recorded after their authorised period expired fall in the bracket of ‘Outof-Country Overstays’.

As reported by TOI earlier in its edition dated March 14, collectively Indian and Chinese students comprise 40% of the total international students in US. During fiscal 2017, 1.16 lakh ‘F’ category visas were issued to Chinese students and 47,300 to Indian students. Exchange students get J category visas while vocational students are in M category.

The DHS has proposed to raise the visa fees for international students seeking F and M categories of visas to $350 from the existing $200. Given current exchange rates, Indian students will have to pay approximately Rs 10,500 more.

For exchange students, the fees will stand increased to $220, which translates to Rs 15,400, a hike of $40. This proposal for increase in fees is expected to be finalised in the coming months.