The central government informed Parliament on Thursday that as many as 62 Indian students were denied entry into the United States over the last five years. The data was presented by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Rajya Sabha. The government also shared a detailed country-wise list of Indian students who were either turned away or deported by foreign immigration authorities during this period.
Singh stated that in several cases, entry was refused because students carried incomplete or inappropriate university documents, had not completed required enrolment procedures or were unable to answer basic questions related to their chosen academic programmes. He said such lapses contributed significantly to entry denials.
Nearly 19 lakh Indians studying abroad
The ministry also released comprehensive data on Indian students currently enrolled overseas. As of January 1, 2025, a total of 18,82,318 Indian students were studying in 153 countries. Among them, 2,55,447 were in the US, 1,73,190 in the UK, 2,53,832 in the UAE and 1,96,108 in Australia.
Deportations reported across several countries
In response to a query on deportations or denied-entry cases, the Centre listed 11 countries including the US, UK, Australia, Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan and Finland. The figures showed that 62 Indian students were denied entry in the US and 11 in Kyrgyzstan, while the remaining countries recorded zero entry-denial cases in the past five years. For deportations, the numbers were higher. The UK deported 170 Indian students, Australia 114, Russia 82, the US 45, Ukraine 13 and Finland five.
Violations of visa norms among major reasons
Explaining the causes, Singh said, "The major reasons cited for deportations primarily relate to violations of visa norms and non-compliance with the regulations of host countries." These included taking up illegal employment, engaging in prohibited activities or violating internal laws related to ethnic hatred, separatism or dissemination of restricted content. Students were also deported for failing to maintain adequate financial balance, not paying tuition fees, low attendance or completely withdrawing from academic programmes.
MEA says safeguarding students abroad a priority
The minister stressed that the government accords "high priority" to the safety and welfare of Indian students abroad. He said Indian missions maintain close contact with students, regularly visit universities and monitor concerns related to the credibility of foreign courses. Many Indian missions also issue formal advisories to protect students from misleading educational programmes and guide them on compliance with local laws, he added.
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