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Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Education loan book growth to halve amid US visa curbs
Mumbai: Crisil has forecast that growth in the education loan book of non-banking finance companies (NBFCs) will slow to half of last year's pace due to tightening immigration policies in the United States that are discouraging Indian students from pursuing higher education abroad. 'Policy uncertainties in the US, combined with measures including reduced visa appointments and the proposed elimination of Optional Practical Training norms have culled newer loan originations. This has led to around 30% decline in total disbursements to that geography last fiscal,' said Malvika Bhotika, Director at Crisil Ratings. According to the ratings agency, education loans had been the fastest-growing asset class for NBFCs in recent years, with assets under management (AUM) rising by over 50% annually. However, Crisil expects this growth to moderate to around 25% in the current fiscal, down from 48% last year and 77% the year before. The AUM is projected to reach ₹80,000 crore by March 2026, up from ₹64,000 crore in FY25. The slowdown has been attributed to a sharp decline in loan disbursements to the US — traditionally the largest destination for Indian students — as the country reduces visa appointments and considers scrapping the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme for international students. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5-year-old girl needs her second heart surgery! Donate For Health Donate Now Undo Disbursements to Canada, the second-largest market, also declined due to stricter student visa rules, including higher financial requirements and a cap on permits. As a result, overall education loan disbursements rose just 8% in FY25, a sharp fall from the 50% growth seen in FY24. To counter the US-led slowdown, NBFCs are now diversifying into alternative geographies such as the UK, Germany, Ireland and other smaller nations. Disbursements to these destinations have doubled, with their combined share in total education loan disbursals rising from 25% in FY24 to nearly 50% in FY25. However, this diversification is unlikely to fully offset the drop in US-bound disbursals. The US still accounted for 50% of total education loan portfolios as of March 2025, down from 53% a year earlier, and this share is expected to decline further in the coming years. NBFCs are also exploring new product adjacencies including domestic student loans, school funding, and loans for skill development and coaching. While these segments involve lower ticket sizes and are unlikely to materially impact AUM, they may offer portfolio stability during global disruptions. Asset quality in the sector remains strong for now, with gross non-performing assets (NPAs) at 0.1% as of March 31, 2025. Even after adjusting for the principal moratorium — which covers around 85% of the loan book — gross NPAs stood at ~0.7%. 'Despite the global developments, NBFCs have maintained healthy asset quality so far,' said Sonica Gupta, Associate Director at Crisil Ratings. 'However, high growth in the past few years and estimated ~15% of the portfolio coming out of contractual moratorium this fiscal pose some asset quality risks.' The report emphasizes that NBFCs' ability to scale newer segments while maintaining quality, and to adapt to changing student preferences and international policies, will be critical for sustaining growth in the education loan segment. The analysis is based on NBFCs rated by Crisil, which represent over 90% of the industry's total AUM. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
H-1B aur OPT Visa Entry to USA 2025: Real Airport Immigration Anubhav!
नेहा उपाध्याय Authored by: • नेहा उपाध्याय Contributed by: | Navbharat Times• 8 Jul 2025, 11:14 am H-1B aur OPT Visa Entry to USA 2025: Real Airport Immigration Anubhav!
The Hindu
06-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Pivot away: On U.S. student visas, Trump administration
Fresh appointments for U.S. student visa interviews have commenced at consulates as per the extended vetting programme that includes rigorous checking of the applicant's social media activities. A chunk of visa applications is still pending at a time when the visa processing winds down and students prepare to depart. Fresh appointments were frozen for nearly a month until the extended vetting programme could be launched. With a wait time of more than a month, many visa applications may go down to the wire as classes begin by the end of August/beginning of September. The extended vetting is only one among many disruptors to the flow of Indian students to the U.S. Many other policy proposals have had a chilling effect. The Trump administration's nominee to head the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has vowed to end the Optional Practical Training programme (OPT) that allows students time to work in the U.S. after graduation while still on student visa, and which serves as a segue toward jobs, work visas and green cards. Ending OPT will disincentivise studying in America. The Trump administration has also said that it will provide only fixed-tenure student visas. The axing of government spending and funding of research and other activities of higher education institutions has had its impact — there are reports of universities rescinding PhD admissions of Indian students. Anecdotal evidence points to a sharp decline in visa issuance in several cities and increased scrutiny of the ranking of institutions granting admissions. Many of the applicants this year had begun the application process before the 2024 U.S. presidential election and, therefore, have sought to go through the process despite the fears. Next year will truly gauge how attractive the U.S. still is for Indian students. When the Trump administration took office, it was felt that the worst of its anti-immigrant impulses would be softened by the tech billionaires who were supporting it. In the past, too, big business had driven policies bringing in talented immigrant workers and foreign students in Republican administrations. The exit of Elon Musk, however, is not a singular event but part of a trend of top techies exiting the Trump team. The cuts on green energy research in the recently passed 'Big Beautiful Bill' only serve to highlight the almost complete dominance of right-wing extremists in the administration, marked by the extreme views of its leading lights such as Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy. The decline of the U.S. as a major attraction for Indian talent is perhaps only an indicator of how much India may have to pivot away from the U.S. in other areas as well.
Economic Times
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Economic Times
358 international students regain SEVIS status in a significant settlement with DHS
In a legal development, 358 international students, many of them Indian nationals, have successfully secured the restoration of their SEVIS registration following a court-approved settlement with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a report by Lubna Kably in the Times of India . The US District Court for the Northern District of Georgia approved the stipulations presented by the students. Their SEVIS records will now reflect 'active' status retroactively, with no gaps in immigration status. This move ensures that the termination of their student status is treated as though it never occurred. The decision also extends to the F-2 dependents of these F-1 visa holders. Spouses and children of the affected students will receive identical protections and restorations under the settlement. As per Lubna's report, a major concern raised by the students was the impact of the termination on work authorizations such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT). Under the agreement, the original end dates of their training programs will be reinstated, and any unemployment days caused by the termination will be removed from official records. This measure is crucial, as exceeding 90 days of unemployment during OPT can jeopardize an international student's visa status. Additionally, the agreement bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from using the same National Crime and Information Center (NCIC) records that led to the original terminations, records that often reflected only minor infractions like traffic or parking settlement also neutralises any potential impact the SEVIS terminations could have had on the students' future immigration filings. It guarantees that the terminations alone will not be used negatively in any future application processes. The students were represented by a coalition of law firms under the IMMPACT Litigation network—Bless Litigation, Joseph and Hall, Kuck Baxter, and Siskind Susser. Speaking to The Times of India , immigration attorney Charles Kuck said, 'This settlement gives us more than we believe we could have obtained from a federal court judge's order and are grateful to restore our 358 plaintiffs to their proper F-1 status, without interruption. We look forward to moving against Department of State in a separate legation to restore the unlawfully revoked visas to the international students.' (With inputs from TOI)
Time of India
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Education associations file amended lawsuits as international students continue to face ‘unlawful' SEVIS termination
This is an AI-generated image, used for represntational purposes only. The 'unlawful' practices of terminating SEVIS records of international students based on visa revocations and alleged criminal histories continue, even as many records have been reactivated following lawsuits and favourable injunctions by district courts. In this backdrop, the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a coalition of over 570 campus leaders, together with the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM), has filed an amended lawsuit-complaint in the district court. It updates the original lawsuit-complaint submitted on April 24. These associations are challenging the unlawful mass termination of SEVIS records for F-1 students and participants in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The lawsuit-complaint states that the US Department of State (DOS) has also misled affected students, and continues to do so, by sending emails falsely claiming they must leave the US immediately, even though visa status governs entry, and is inapplicable to whether an already-admitted student may remain in the country. DHS has since formalised a policy allowing SEVIS record terminations based on visa revocations, continuing this unlawful practice, it adds. Through this amended complaint, the associations are primarily asking the court to do three things: Hold unlawful and set aside the policy under which the mass visa revocations were carried out, and enjoin the government from using this practice again; Order the government to stop sending false and coercive emails to international students; and Hold unlawful and set aside the policy that purports to permit the termination of SEVIS records based solely on visa revocation. Miriam Feldblum, President and CEO of the Presidents' Alliance, stated, 'We are asking the court to prevent the government from engaging in similar actions in the future and to hold the agencies accountable for these unprecedented and damaging practices. The actions of the government have created chaos and fear. Even students whose SEVIS records have been reinstated continue to face uncertainty, unanswered questions about their education and career prospects, and ongoing vulnerability under the new policy. ' ' Colleges and universities have faced academic disruption, administrative burdens, and reputational harm, all of which compromise their ability to support international students. This instability jeopardises global talent recruitment, threatens academic freedom, and places undue strain on campus systems. Through this amended complaint, higher education is standing together to defend the rights and contributions of international students and scholars, whose presence, innovation, and ideas strengthen our communities and grow our economy,' she added. Rob McCarron, President and CEO of AICUM, stated: 'Our overarching goal for this litigation is to ensure due process, and that any changes to the SEVIS program be done in full compliance with statutory and regulatory procedures. More than 80,000 international students travel to Massachusetts to pursue a higher education, adding vibrancy and innovation to our campuses and often founding startups in Massachusetts. Providing due process, proper notice, stability and clarity – to students and the institutions that serve them – is critical so that everyone fully understands what needs to be done to enroll in a college or university in Massachusetts.' A joint release points out the significant role played by international students. In the 2023-2024 academic year alone, international students contributed approximately $44 billion to the US economy and supported more than 3,78,000 jobs. Yet policies like the one challenged in this lawsuit threaten to undermine our ability to attract and retain top global talent, harming not only individual students and campuses but also long-term economic strength, innovation capacity, and national security. Through this legal action, the higher education community reaffirms its commitment to international students and scholars.
