High Visa Rejections and Unpredicted Policies of Major Countries Hit International Education Sector

Not long ago the international educations sector was going through the roof, with unprecedented demand from students to study abroad and the sector was all hunky-dory. But time changes, and so it did for the study abroad sector, with the most reliable and popular study abroad destinations being overburdened by student numbers from the past decade, have made stringent laws and capped international student numbers, which in turn has made potential international students think of their options twice before making their mind up for a particular destination. These changes have been a set back to the entire ecosystem of the industry, and all the stakeholders involved have borne their share of the brunt.

Canada for instance had recorded 52% of student visas rejected in 2024 which escalated from 38% in 2023. While IRCC has been accused of making money from even rejected applications with a large amount of application fee coming in and amounting to around CA$ 700 million just in 2024. While IRCC in its defense has pointed out that they are seasoned to pick out fraudulent applications and they seem a lot of it. All in all, the transparency of the visa process has been critiqued by analysts in the field. 

Meanwhile the picture is no different in Australia and the USA. One third of the visas have been rejected by both countries in the year 2024 approximately. While in Australia it is down to lack of housing and already existing high numbers of international students, USA has had a change in administration and policies, and a lot of it has been attributed to that. A lot of the potential US bound students are now uncertain whether they want to go to the USA as per multiple credible surveys. It is not about getting the visa, a sudden change in work rights and long processing times of applications also play a part in the minds of potential students.

A notable 42% of prospective students said that they are less inclined to consider studies in the USA after new administration. This suggests that the international student audience is becoming more hesitant. More significantly, 41% are still unsure.

Many study abroad agencies in various countries have started shutting down their offices and there is absolutely no question about expansion of their business in current scenario. It is expected to witness good number of layoffs in study abroad advising industry across the globe as all players are considering controlling the operational cost of their business.

For students and other short-term travelers, delays in processing visa applications have also proven to be a major obstacle, in addition to a general trend toward higher refusal rates in popular countries. The United States travel industry is facing a major crisis, as extended visa processing times and increased security vetting threaten to deter millions of international visitors, according to a recent article published in Tourism & Tour World. As the US gets ready for an unprecedented decade of international athletic events, industry analysts worry that the country could lose billions of dollars in tourism revenue due to waiting times of up to 700 days for some countries.

Uncertain times prevail, where countries, universities and agencies are all up against the wall in industry, but as always, the sun will rise again tomorrow !