Over the years, studying abroad has been a dream for many Indian students seeking better career opportunities. But tighter visa rules, a weak job market and a depreciating rupee are making that dream harder to achieve.Education experts say Indian students face financial uncertainty as traditional destinations such as the US, UK, Canada and Australia tighten immigration policies and offer fewer job opportunities after graduation.Sudhanshu Kaushik, founder of the Indian Students Association of North America in Washington, said many students find the reality abroad different from their expectations.Kaushik told the BBC: “They come here hoping to find skilled employment in the field in which they were trained and eventually work in the gig economy. Earlier, the job helped fund their education. Now many graduate and work full-time.”India remains the world’s largest source of international students, with more than 1.2 million Indians expected to be enrolled in overseas higher education institutions by 2025.Sushil Sukhwani, founder of Edwise International, said the number of students traveling to the UK and US has dropped significantly.“The market is clearly showing signs of slowing down. We’ve already seen enrollments fall by 20% in the UK and US over the past two years and I would expect another 10-15% decline in the future,” he said.Stricter visa regulations are playing an important role. In the UK, 76% of universities reported a fall in Indian student enrollments in January. In the United States, enrollment fell by nearly 7% between February 2025 and February 2026.Despite the challenges, demand for international education overall remains strong. However, experts warn that countries such as the US and UK could lose one of their most important student groups.“Currency devaluation, the job market, the rise of artificial intelligence, visa issues and the current [Donald Trump] Government policies combine to create a perfect storm. No one wins,” Kaushik said.“Students suffer, universities suffer, college towns suffer and the broader economy suffers.”He added: “We are abandoning the gains made in promoting higher education as one of our most influential and profitable forms of soft power.”
