J-1 probe deals another blow to Indian researchers’ American Dream

New Delhi: An IIT graduate spent nearly a year preparing a research proposal for a funded PhD in computer science at an Ivy League university in the US. But uncertainty over research funding, doubts about whether he could complete his thesis within the proposed four-year stay limit, and a federal probe into the university’s J-1 visa programme have prompted him to defer admission until the situation becomes clearer.

He is not alone.

Increasingly, Indian researchers are re-examining the US for doctoral and postdoctoral opportunities as a federal probe into exchange visas, research funding cuts, and uncertainty over duration of stay threaten to complicate their academic careers, study-abroad consultants said.


The Trump administration has launched investigations into J-1 exchange visitor visa programmes at nine universities, including Harvard, Stanford and MIT. The visa category covers exchange visitors such as research scholars, professors and postdoctoral researchers.

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According to Vice President JD Vance and US Department of Labour Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito, the probe examines alleged misuse of visa classifications by these institutions for deploying J-1 exchange visas for federally funded grant research at a rate of 61% (compared to the national average of 38%) and paying foreign researchers roughly $20,000 less than American graduates and researchers.

The investigations come amid research funding disruptions and a proposed change that would replace the existing duration-of-status framework with a fixed admission period, generally capped at four years. A federal court has blocked the change for now, leaving the existing framework in place while litigation continues.

The 2025 Open Doors Report said Indian nationals were the second-largest cohort of international scholars in the US, after the Chinese in the 2024/25 academic year. At 19,156, Indian scholars accounted for 16.4% of the total international scholar population, registering an 8% increase from the previous year, when they numbered 17,735.

Nikhil Jain, founder of ForeignAdmits, said the shift was visible in applicant enquiries at his firm. “Overall PhD enquiries are up, but US PhD enquiries are down more than 40%, even for offers with confirmed funding, while Europe has more than doubled.” He added, “A few people in our own IIT network have deferred US PhD starts this year. Partially funded US PhDs are dropping off shortlists.”

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Jain said postdoctoral researchers and visiting scholars at the nine universities under scrutiny faced the most immediate uncertainty, particularly in biomedical and life sciences research. PhD students on F-1 visas are less directly exposed to the J-1 probe but remain concerned about funding and stay rules.

Praneet Singh, vice president of university partnerships at upGrad Study Abroad, said the uncertainty was pushing applicants towards Europe, particularly Germany, Switzerland and Scandinavian countries, where doctoral programmes are often salaried research positions backed by established funding.

“This has been an especially difficult year for PhD applicants. The US’ new four-year cap on international students’ authorised stay and consistent cuts to research funding have made it a riskier choice,” Singh said, adding that some universities had reduced their doctoral cohorts.

Aditya Shanker Raghuwanshi, founder of Masterclass Space, said families were increasingly weighing the risks of committing several years to research in the US. “The US is still the first choice for most families we meet. They’re just keeping a longer, more serious backup list than they did a year ago.”

Raghuwanshi said funding, the ability to remain in the country long enough to complete a PhD, which often takes five to six years, and employment prospects after graduation were among the biggest concerns. The J-1 probe, he said, had added to the perception that scrutiny of foreign talent was extending beyond students to research laboratories.

An Indian researcher’s primary concern includes “the ability to maintain momentum in their work–obtain a visa, start their studies or postdoctoral appointment, retain funding, and finish their mission in the US,” said Sanjay Laul, founder of MSM Unify.