US embassy in India issues warning to B1, B2 visa holders
Visa
Urged travellers to clearly understand which activities are allowed and which are prohibited while visiting the US on a B1/B2 visa.
The US Embassy in India has issued a warning to B1 and B2 visa holders, cautioning that overstaying or using a visa for purposes not permitted could lead to a permanent ban on future travel to the United States. In a post shared on X on Thursday, the embassy released an animated video outlining guidelines for visitor visas and stressed that visa holders are personally responsible for complying with the rules.
The embassy noted that consular officers may reject a visa application if they believe an applicant does not intend to follow the conditions of a visitor visa.
This advisory follows an earlier alert highlighting that violations of US laws or arrests can have severe consequences, particularly for international students, including visa revocation, deportation, and restrictions on obtaining future US visas. The embassy reiterated that holding a US visa is a privilege and not an entitlement.
At the same time, US colleges and universities have seen a notable drop in new international student admissions, with enrolments declining by 17% this fall, according to the Institute of International Education (IIE). The findings are based on a survey of 825 higher education institutions nationwide and show mixed trends—29% reported an increase in new international students, 14% saw no change, while a majority, 57%, recorded a decrease.
Among the institutions that experienced a decline, 96% identified visa-related difficulties as the primary reason, and 68% attributed the fall to travel restrictions introduced during the Trump administration. Several universities reported that prospective students encountered prolonged delays due to extended visa appointment wait times or temporary halts in visa processing earlier this year. Many colleges also highlighted a significant reduction in new enrolments from Indian students, who constitute the largest segment of the international student population in the US.
