Key Highlights:

Donald Trump pledges automatic Green Cards for foreign students graduating from US colleges.
It is aimed at preventing bright students from returning to their home countries which strongly supports his movement of ‘Make America Great Again’

The US issued a record number of student visas to Indians in 2023, more are expected in 2024.

In a shift from his previous stance on immigration, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has promised to issue automatic Green Cards to foreign students who come for higher study in USA. This move, he believes, is essential to making talented students from countries like India and China to stay in the USA.

A recent podcast hosted by venture capitalists Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, and David Friedberg, three of whom are immigrants, provided Trump with a platform to reiterate his policy from his first term. Here, Trump shared his thoughts, stating, "What I want to do and what I will do is -- you graduate from a college, I think you should get a Green Card automatically as part of your diploma, a Green Card to be able to stay in this country. And that includes junior colleges too."

Mr. Trump, reflecting on his time in office highlighted the missed opportunities caused by the current immigration policies. He recounted "stories where people graduated from a top college or from a college, and they desperately wanted to stay here, they had a plan for a company, a concept, and they can’t — they go back to India, they go back to China, they do the same basic company in those places." He added, "And they become multi-billionaires employing thousands and thousands of people, and it could have been done here."

He also emphasized the importance of retaining foreign students, particularly those enrolled in STEM courses in USA by granting them Green Cards upon graduation. "Anybody graduates from a college; you go in there for two years or four years. If you graduate, or you get a doctorate degree from a college, you should be able to stay in this country," Trump said. “We force the brilliant people, the people that graduate from college, the people that are number one in their class from the best colleges, you have to be able to recruit these people and keep the people.”

Trump expressed his regret over the delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which he said prevented him from implementing this policy earlier. "Let me just tell you that it’s so sad when we lose people from Harvard, MIT, from the greatest schools, and lesser schools that are phenomenal schools also. And what I wanted to do, and I would have done this, but then we had to solve the Covid problem because that came in and, you know, sort of dominated for a little while” he said.

The US has seen a surge in student visa applications, with over 140,000 visas issued to Indian students in 2023, a record number. This trend is expected to continue as the US embassy in India prepares for an even higher volume of applications in 2024.

If implemented, this could be a game-changer for international students, providing them with the opportunity to stay back and live the American Dream! It will remove the uncertainty and bureaucratic hurdles often associated with staying in the US post-graduation. By offering a straightforward path to permanent residency, the US could now attract and retain some of the brightest minds from around the world.

At KC Overseas Education, we understand the complexities of the to attain a student visa for USA and our expert team provides comprehensive visa guidance at each and every step - from application to approval. We ensure that you have all the necessary information and support to make your dream of studying and staying in the US a reality.

Let us assist you in making the most of these new opportunities and securing your future in the country better known as ‘The Land of Opportunities!’

Donald Trump pledges Green Cards for foreign students graduating from the US

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