In a significant development, Migration Policy Institute (MPI), a US-based think tank released a report, revealing that 48% of the immigrants who landed in the United States between 2018-2022 held a university degree. The study focused on individuals over the age of 25.
According to a senior political analyst, 35% of the total immigrant adults hold a bachelor’s degree almost similar to 36% of U.S. born citizens who are graduates.
Of the total immigrant graduates in the United States, India tops the list with 14% which means there were 2 million Indian degree holders between 2018-2022 in the United States, as per analysis relied on data from the US Census Bureau (2022 ACS). Next in line was China with 8% after which stands Mexico.
68% of college-educated Immigrants were younger than 55 years old, in contrast to U.S. born graduates who make up 61% of this age group. Coming to H1-B workers (foreign professionals working in the U.S.), data trend showed that Indian workers received 72% of approved H-1B petitions in the financial year 2022-23 (FY 2023).
Moreover, a total of 1.1 million international students were enrolled in higher education in the United States between 2022-2023. Of this number, 748,000 students were Asian which is a whopping increase of 71%. Half of the total international student population belonged to China and India with 290,000 and 267,000 students respectively—creating a boom in American Universities. However, looking at current statistics, enrollment from China decreased from around 1,200 to 400, while enrollment from India increased from about 3,000 to 4,400 in the last 4 years.
While Indian universities accept less than 0.2% whereas Harvard University accepts around 3%, and MIT around 4%. Due to a yearning for better career prospects, Indian students studying in the U.S. skyrocketed with a 35% increase in just one year. This proves that the U.S. has become popular destination for Indian students to pursue higher education a popular destination for Indian students to pursue higher studies.
According to the Associated Press, the United States in general has witnessed a 12% increase in the number of international students with over a million students worldwide choosing to study in the United States.
The recent spurt in immigrant students has come in the backdrop of the Biden Administration easing Visa restrictions for foreign students studying in the U.S.
