Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Rajan Warns US Innovation Pipeline at Risk as Student Visa Interviews Are Suspended

A pause on scheduling new visa interviews for international students under tighter social media vetting has heightened anxiety at US universities

Rajan, who is professor of finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, warned that squeezing foreign students could impact job growth, noting that companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google employ thousands, thanks in part to immigration-linked talent pipelines.
Image
Image

Overview

  • Former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan cautioned that political hostility and visa restrictions threaten long-term US economic growth by weakening talent pipelines
  • The Trump administration ordered US embassies to suspend scheduling new student visa interviews while it reviews stricter social media screening protocols
  • Over 1.1 million international students enrolled in US universities in 2023-24, with India and China supplying the largest shares
  • Rajan highlighted that immigrant entrepreneurs such as Google co-founder Sergey Brin emerged from US campuses and have been pivotal to American technological leadership
  • University leaders warn that prolonged uncertainty could prompt prospective students to delay or redirect their plans to study elsewhere