In a recent event, twenty-one Indian students were deported from the US in one day. Most of them hail from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The daunting part is that they had completed visa formalities before landing in their dream destination. Yet they were unable to stay and pursue their aspirations of higher education in the US. According to reports, these students underwent a thorough scrutiny of documents by immigration officers across airports in Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.

The incident has made international students apprehensive about visa-related complications. While these students believed they had fulfilled the entire requirements for their visas, things still didn’t work out for them. They are confused and depressed because the financial impact of the cancellation of the F1 visa is substantial. The losses include university application costs, visa fees, consultant charges, airfare, and more, amounting to nearly INR 3 lakh.

Trauma Beyond Imagination

The ordeal of the Indian students detained and deported from the US is beyond the financial implications alone. Lacking clear explanations or reasons for their deportation is traumatic enough, but that isn’t the end. Some students told that the authorities confiscated their mobile phones and scrutinized their WhatsApp conversations. They were even asked to leave calmly with warnings of severe legal consequences if they raised objections. 

Another scary implication of the event is that the threat of a five-year entry ban to the country looms large for these students. Further, they may face immigration problems while entering other popular study-abroad destinations such as Australia, Canada, and the UK. They could lose a chance to get an H1B visa in the future. The only way they can live the American dream is by being endorsed by major MNCs, which may not be possible for all.

What Next?

The incident has made students frantic, leading to a surge in consultant visits to ensure proper documentation to avoid any trouble. Concerns persist even as experts reassure that international students with legitimate documents need not stress. They recommend three basics to prevent such a scenario- students should be able to answer where they will study, how they will pay the fees, and where they will stay. As per recent data, about 42,750 students got F1 visas from five US consulates in India. The number was only 38,309 last year. But the incident has left students with no reason to rejoice. The best piece of advice for them is to double-check their paperwork and have all the answers before flying to the land of their education dreams.