Several universities in the US have advised foreign students (especially Indians) to return from their holidays before President Donald Trump's swearing-in ceremony on January 20. US universities have issued travel advisories and urged their international students as well as staff to stay home.

The advice issued to students said that this would avoid travel restrictions and strict checks at entry points. Trump will be sworn in as President on January 20 and announced that he would sign several executive orders on economy and immigration issues on his first day as the 47th President of the United States.

More than half of the international students are from India

More than half (54 percent) of all international students in the United States are from India and China, according to data from the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Institute of International Education.

This concern has grown at a time when India has overtaken China in terms of student enrollment in the US. Between 2023 and 2024, 3.3 lakh Indian students have arrived in American universities, while only 2.7 lakh students have come from China.

China was the second-leading origin location, despite a 4 percent drop to 277,398 students. It remained the top country for graduate and non-degree students, sending 87,551 and 5,517 messages respectively.

Problems faced by students

David Elwell, associate dean and director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Student Office, said in a post after the presidential election that with every election, "when there is a change in administration at the federal level, there can be changes in policies, regulations."

A student of the University of Massachusetts said that he had to postpone his return date, which cost him about thirty-five thousand rupees extra. Let us tell you that the professors of the university had warned him that the security checks could be strict and there could be a thorough scrutiny of documents.