"Jobs In US Will Be Difficult": Top Education Consultant Cautions Indian Students
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Amid Trump's tensions with elite colleges, the US plans stricter vetting for international student visas, including social media checks. Educational consultant Viral Doshi reassures Indian students to adapt, focus on academics, and remain patient amid changes.
Amid US President Donald Trump's feud with some of America's most elite colleges, his administration is planning to implement a stricter vetting process for international students applying for a student visa.
As part of the measures, the US State Department has already ordered embassies to stop scheduling new student visa appointments as it starts social media surveillance of applicants.
Speaking about how the social media surveillance of applicants is going to impact Indian students, Viral Doshi, Educational Consultant & Mentor said, that the vetting is purely for political activism and that Indian students should not worry about it.
He drew an analogy comparing visiting a different country to visiting somebody's house, and following the rules and regulations laid out for the visitors. He said, 'When you go to somebody's house, you're a guest out there. The host is there, it's his house. Now if he keeps on changing his rules and regulations, you have to comply with that. This is what the US is doing today. If you comply with the rules and regulations, why should we have a problem at all?'
He advised Indian students to 'embrace' the changes. He added, 'Go to America for what it's giving you- for its academics, education, research. Don't get into political activism.'
The official memo of social media vetting comes amid a wide-ranging Trump crackdown on the biggest of American elite universities. Students and parents have been anxious regarding applications to US universities. Mr Doshi said that once the policy around social media vetting of students is out, the US universities will send out interview calls to students, since 'as much as you want to go to a good university, American colleges are looking at good students also', he added.
Clearing the air out about whether this could be a discriminatory procedure for Indian students, Mr Doshi said, 'Not at all. I don't think it's politically motivated. It's not discriminatory and we should understand first and foremost they have not removed the interview call. They've halted it for some point of time.' He also added that it's not just a process for Indian students, but for all international students.
The number of Indian students studying abroad has reached a massive 1.8 million in 2025, according to the data released by the Ministry of External Affairs and confirmed by various internal education bodies. This marks a significant increase from 1.3 million in 2023 and reflects the robust increase in students choosing to study abroad.
The United States recorded a high of 331,602 Indian students studying last year, a major increase of 23 per cent from 2023. India had surpassed China as the leading source of international students in the US for this period.
Mr Doshi said that US is still a preferred destination for Indian students and that with the changing regulations, Indians need to 'recalibrate expectations from the US'. He said, 'You should be very much prepared, that internships are going to be extremely challenging. Jobs are going to be very difficult to get.' He noted that 50% of his students have not got jobs today and that internships are 'virtually negligible'.
'We may say that other countries are possible (for education), but nothing matches America for its innovation, for its diversity, for its flexibility. America is right up there', Mr Doshi stated.
Last week, US President Donald Trump's administration revoked Harvard University's authority to enrol international students under a federal government scheme called the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), however, a federal judge on Friday temporarily restrained the Trump administration's move to block foreign students at Harvard.
Speaking on the row, Mr Doshi said that although it is unfortunate that some of the colleges have been targeted, there will be 'compromise' at some point. He noted, 'As a matter of fact, I was talking to my students at Harvard recently. And all of them have the opinion that they are going to wait and watch. They said we don't want to transfer anyway. We'd rather wait for even one semester or one year, but stay on at Harvard.'
He also opined that there will be a compromise that will be arrived at, and added that America is still a great country, a great education place to go to, and suggested students to 'remain patient and calm'.
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