「令人恐懼與壓力」：印度學生重新考慮赴美留學計劃

Indian students have long seen the United States as a land of opportunity for higher education, but recent policy changes have cast a shadow of uncertainty over their plans. Umar Sofi, a 26-year-old from Indian-administered Kashmir, was thrilled when he received his acceptance letter from Columbia University's School of Journalism after three years of trying. He even secured a partial scholarship and quit his job to prepare for his move. However, his hopes were dashed when the US government suddenly paused student visa appointments, leaving him numb and unsure about his future.

Similarly, 17-year-old Samita Garg from Mumbai faced a comparable challenge. She was accepted into a prestigious US university to study biochemistry, a crucial step toward her dream of becoming a dermatologist. But just a day after her acceptance, the US embassy halted student visa appointments, leaving her feeling scared and stressed. Both Umar and Samita now face a ticking clock, with only a few weeks left to secure their visas before the academic year begins in August, yet they have little clarity on whether they will be able to proceed with their plans.

These visa suspensions are part of a broader move by the Trump administration, which ordered US embassies worldwide to stop scheduling student visa appointments and to increase social media vetting of applicants. This crackdown followed President Trump's criticism of elite American universities like Harvard, accusing them of being too liberal and not doing enough to combat antisemitism. India, which sends more international students to the US than any other country, has been deeply affected. Many students are now deferring their plans or choosing to study in countries perceived as more stable, such as the UK, Germany, Ireland, and Australia. The uncertainty has caused a significant drop in applications to US universities, with educational consultants reporting a decline of at least 30% for the upcoming semester.