We speak for Indian students before the governments, embassies and universities whose decisions shape their lives. And we help them build a life abroad: finding community, keeping Indian culture close, and becoming part of the places they now call home.
01 · Our mandate
AIS is the international umbrella for Indian student communities abroad. Chapters work on the ground; AIS carries their case to the people who decide.
Visa rules, post-study work rights, immigration reform and student protections, argued directly with lawmakers and regulators.
In the pressCNN, October 2025: NAAIS on how US visa policy is pushing Indian students to look elsewhere, describing "a climate of fear and uncertainty". Read
Formal working relationships with education ministries, host governments and Indian missions abroad.
In the pressMay 2021: NAAIS shipped its first 40 oxygen concentrators to India in partnership with the Embassy of India and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin. The News Minute
Visa guidance, pro bono legal aid, mental health support, housing help, scholarships and career connections.
In the press2021: NAAIS ran workshops across the US on immigration, visas, OPT and CPT, internships and healthcare. The PIE News
A standing network means no student abroad faces an emergency alone, whether it's on campus or back home.
In the pressJune 2020: with lockdowns closing campuses, NAAIS estimated 75,000 Indian students might be stuck in the US and helped students with groceries and housing. The PIE News
02 · The network
Each circle is sized by the number of Indian students in that country. Zoom into a region, or pin a country to see its chapter.
No chapter matches that yet. Tell us where you study.
Figures come from different years and sources, so they are not a single snapshot. Open a chapter to see the year and source behind its number.
03 · The monthly brief
Headlines from every chapter country, gathered automatically on the 1st of each month. Updated 1 October 2026.
04 · Why it matters
Indian students in higher education abroad as of 1 January 2025 (12,54,013), according to India's Ministry of External Affairs. Counting school students, the total is 18,82,318.
India MEA data, via ICEF Monitor, Dec 2025Indian students in the United States in 2024/25. India is the leading place of origin, ahead of China at 265,919.
IIE Open Doors 2025Just under 59,000 Indian students in Germany in winter semester 2024/25, up 20% in a year and the largest international group, ahead of China at about 38,600.
DAAD, Nov 2025The number of Indian students in higher education abroad fell in 2025. Canada cut new study permits and US F-1 visa issuances to Indians fell 44% in the first half of FY2025. When the rules change, students need someone in the room.
ICEF Monitor, Dec 202505 · The case
They pay their way, fill graduate labs, start companies and stay to work. Here is the evidence, with a source for every figure.
Economic impact of Indian students in the United States in 2024, by US Department of Commerce figures.
IIE Open Doors, India fact sheet, Nov 2025US billion-dollar startups with an Indian-born founder, more than any other country. Next are Israel (60) and the UK (47).
NFAP, June 2026Median monthly wage of Indian full-time employees in Germany at the end of 2024, the highest of any nationality. For Germans it was €4,177.
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, Jan 2026Almost one in four US billion-dollar startups (183 of 775) has a founder who first arrived as an international student. NFAP, June 2026
Governments that welcome Indian students keep the talent they train.
Working after graduation in 2024/25, nearly half of all 294,253 international students on OPT.
IIE Open Doors, Nov 202590,153 of 221,335 in 2025 went to Indian nationals, the most of any nationality.
UK Home Office, Feb 2026Indian degree students in Germany rose from about 9,000 in 2013/14 to 48,594 in 2023/24.
Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft, Jan 2026France and India set a goal of 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030, with 10,000 expected for the first time in 2025.
Élysée joint statement, Feb 202506 · The issues
The questions Indian students bring to their chapters most, from Dublin to Sydney, with the evidence behind each.
Honest information before a student commits: what a degree really costs, what the job market really looks like, and which agents and institutions to avoid. India's National Medical Commission issues advisories for students considering medical degrees abroad for exactly this reason.
Moving abroad should not mean leaving India behind. Chapters keep Indian festivals, languages, food and friendships alive, and help students understand the culture they have joined, from local customs and law to how workplaces and classrooms run. The aim is a student who belongs in both places.
Housing, mental health, legal questions and emergencies, handled by a chapter on the ground that knows the city, and that can reach the Indian mission when things go wrong.
Rules can change mid-degree. Canada issued 9,955 new study permits to Indians from January to August 2025, against 149,875 in the same months of 2023, and US F-1 visa issuances to Indian students fell 44% in the first half of FY2025. ICEF Monitor
Every country sets its own clock. The time a graduate may stay to look for work ranges from six months to three years across our chapter countries, and it decides whether a degree pays off.
Maximum stay to look for work or work after graduating, for the qualification shown. Each bar links to the official rule.
Tuition is rising where it used to be free. Norway has charged non-EU students since 2023, and Austria's public universities charge non-EU students €726.72 a semester. Scholarships help: Hungary offers up to 200 Stipendium Hungaricum places to Indian students each year. The PIE News, Study in Austria, UGC call
A foreign degree should open doors in India too. To practise medicine in India, a foreign medical degree must run at least 54 months, with a 12-month internship at the same institution, and graduates must pass India's licensing test. National Medical Commission
In the room
07 · Press
For quotes, data or a briefing, write to hello@globalindianstudents.org.
08 · Join
Choose your chapter and a coordinator will be in touch within 48 hours. Universities, embassies, partners and journalists can reach the right chapter here too.
Members in the United States and Mexico join through NAAIS, our North American chapter.
Join on naais.org