Evaluation of US state division knowledge has revealed a big drop in F-1 visa issuance for Iranian college students in 2024, with some college students reportedly spending over $3,700 in utility and related visa prices.
In fiscal yr 2024, the overall variety of F-1 visas issued to Iranian college students fell by 42% in comparison with the typical whole for the earlier two years, in response to US authorities knowledge.
Almost 3,900 F-1 visas had been issued to Iranian college students coming to the US in FY 2023, as in comparison with 2,166 in FY 2024 ending on the finish of September, the information reveals.
Whole annual F1 visa issuance for Iranian candidates:
FY 2022: 3,575
FY 2023: 3,869
FY 2024: 2,166
Iranian teachers have rallied towards the decline in F-1 visa issuance for Iranian candidates, establishing the Iranian Candidates F&J Visa Motion to research what they declare is a politically motivated exclusion of Iranian college students within the US.
“It seems that the State Division has employed an avoidance technique to deny Iranian college students’ proper to training [in the US],” Iranian educational and English language educating researcher concerned within the motion, Barbod** advised The PIE Information.
“We wholeheartedly consider that they squeezed the visa quota in 2024 as a consequence of political causes… not solely do they impose sanctions on the Iranian authorities, however in addition they prohibit F and J visas for Iranian college students,” Barbod claimed.
However the US authorities has poured chilly water on these claims.
In accordance with a State Division spokesperson, “The refusal price is a product of hundreds of thousands of particular person choices made each day by our consular officers around the globe. These officers obtain rigorous coaching on making use of visa legislation and regulation earlier than they attain their posting abroad.
“As a result of so many elements affect every visa adjudication, there is no such thing as a one cause why a refusal price goes up or down.”
Moreover, whereas new enrolments have decreased, in response to new Open Doorways knowledge, Iranian college students within the US totalled 12,430 in 2023/24 – a 15% enhance on the earlier yr and the fourth largest rise of any nation.
Although seeming to contradict the lower in new visas granted, the rise might be defined by a rise in Iranian graduates staying on within the US for OPT work alternatives, which drove the general record-high numbers of worldwide college students within the US.
Iranian Candidates Visa Motion
In response to declining visa issuance final yr, the group of teachers established a Telegram group of F and J visa candidates. They collated knowledge in regards to the programs, establishments and embassies the place college students’ functions had been rejected, in addition to visa processing delays and the money and time spent by potential college students.
Because the closure of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979, there was no US diplomatic presence in Iran and potential college students should schedule visa appointments at US embassies or consulates in neighbouring international locations corresponding to Turkey, the UAE or Armenia, making visa processing and wait instances tough to file.
Beneath rules from the US Workplace of International Property Management (OFAC), Iranian college students are permitted to use for non-immigrant visas to attend educational establishments within the US, although there are some restrictions on analysis collaborations.
The refusal price is a product of hundreds of thousands of particular person choices made each day by our consular officers around the globe
US State Division
In October 2024, the Iranian candidates’ motion disseminated a survey among the many candidates. Of the 402 college students on the Telegram group, 79 people responded about their experiences.
The outcomes discovered that of the rejected candidates, 53% had been PhD college students, 37% had been grasp’s college students and 5% had been submit doctorate researchers.
The most important proportion of candidates (40.5%) travelled to Yerevan, Armenia, for his or her visa appointment, adopted by Dubai, UAE, and Doha, Qatar, which acquired 15% and 14% of scholars respectively.
The survey recorded college students’ scholarship standing, revealing that 54% had totally funded scholarships, 20% had partially funded scholarships, and 18% had been self-funded.
Spanning all kinds of levels, the postgraduate college students and researchers had been accepted to establishments together with UMass Boston, the College of Illinois and the College of California Merced.
Value & wait instances
Of the 79 respondents, many utilized for a visa greater than as soon as, with 68% attending a second appointment and 22% a 3rd.
4 college students tried a fourth time, and two college students had 5 unsuccessful visa interviews, spending an estimated whole of greater than $3,700 on journey prices, visa appointment charges and foreign money transaction charges.
On prime of lodging and journey charges to US embassies in neighbouring international locations, F and J visa candidates should pay a $185 MRV payment for every consulate interview, in addition to a $350 SEVIS payment that’s legitimate for one yr.
Attributable to international financial sanctions, Iran’s foreign money has the second lowest international price, with every applicant paying an estimated extra $200 in transaction charges for every visa appointment.
Administrative Processing
In accordance with the teachers, most of the candidates have been ready in Administrative Processing (AP) at US embassies, placing their educational plans on maintain.
An applicant is positioned in AP in scenario the place a consular officer determines they want extra details about an utility, inserting the applicant in AP for an indeterminate interval.
In accordance with the Iranian Candidates Motion, 30 college students have been ready for his or her visa clearance since 2022 and 160 college students have been ready since 2023, although these figures haven’t been independently verified by the person candidates.
The Trump administration
Since Trump reassumed the presidency on January 20, a “tsunami” of govt orders have been unleashed, threatening to reshape the immigration system and radically alter the face of US worldwide greater training.
Regardless of these, in addition to Trump’s hardline stance towards Iran seen in his coverage of “Most Stress” on oil exports, Barbod and his colleagues stay hopeful that the administration may take a extra optimistic stance in the direction of Iranian college students.
This optimism is, in giant, pushed by secretary of state Marco Rubio’s feedback through which he made a distinction between the folks of Iran and their authorities.
“I hope he’ll perceive our grave concern and facilitate the method of Iranian scholar visas,” stated Barbod.
Barbod additionally pointed to Elon Musk’s marketing campaign path feedback on X, previously often known as Twitter, sustaining that “America has benefitted from an inflow of gifted Iranians”, whereas acknowledging the extremely unpredictable nature of the present administration.
** Actual names have been modified
