Student Visa: The United States Embassy in India on Wednesday issued a strong warning to Indian students studying in the United States, emphasising that a US visa is “a privilege and not a right” and has told them that failure to follow laws could have serious consequences that could lead up to deportation and make them ineligible for visas in the future.
The advisory was posted on X in which the embassy said that “Breaking US laws can have serious consequences for your student visa. If you are arrested or violate any laws, your visa may be revoked, you may be deported, and you could be ineligible for future US visas. Follow the rules and don’t jeopardise your travel. A US visa is a privilege, not a right.”
Student visa does not mean immunity
This warning comes when there is a heightened attention on international student visa regulations, and are being strictly enforced by US authorities. According to the embassy’s statement, Indian students must obey all American laws while in the country or risk losing their student visa and being forced to return home.
Officials said that the student visa programme does not guarantee indefinite stay or immunity from legal consequences and that “visa holders must maintain compliance with US laws at all times.” Several reports indicate that the US government has been increasing scrutiny of visa holders across categories, including students, workers, and exchange visitors.
Several Indians including students have been deported from the US in 2025
The US has implemented strict immigration laws under current administration which the advisory reflects. The officials are increasingly referring to undocumented migrants as “illegal aliens”. Along with stricter visa rules, the government has also carried out several large-scale deportations.
Last year, many Indian citizens were deported from the US, which included people who had entered through the so-called “Dunki route”, an illegal and often dangerous migration path that passes through South and Central America.
Government data shows that between January and March 2025, the US deported 388 Indian nationals to India. In addition, 55 Indians were deported via Panama. Most of those deported were from Punjab (126), followed by Haryana (110) and Gujarat (74).
