After a precipitous drop in international student enrollment in 2020, the number of American student visas granted to international students has recovered to levels preceding the coronavirus pandemic.
This year, American consulates approved almost 117,000 F-1 student visas in May and June, about 90 percent of figures in 2019, according to U.S. State Department data. Among them, 57,000 Chinese students, who make up a large proportion of the international cohort, received F-1 student visas in May and June, a slight increase from 2019.
Last year, the number of international students in the United States on F-1 and M-1 visas fell by 20 percent to 1.25 million, while the number of new students dropped by 72 percent. Some students had opted to take classes remotely while others deferred their education in the United States because of coronavirus restrictions, including the suspension of in-person lessons.
The issue of visas for Chinese students has emerged as a point of contention in already strained ties between China and the United States. Travel between the countries has been largely frozen by visa controls imposed because of Covid-19 as well as geopolitical tensions.
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