(from ICEF Monitor) The number of international students holding F-1 and M-1 visas in the U.S. declined by .5 percent in the last year, according to the latest report from SEVIS (the Student and Exchange Visitor Program of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The drop of just over 6,200 students — from 1,208,039 in March 2017 to 1,201,829 in March 2018 — reflects declines from European and Asian markets even as the number of Latin American students in the U.S. increased 4 percent.
Nearly eight in 10 foreign students in the U.S. come from Asia, and just under half of F and M visa holders come from China and India alone. Both of those key markets grew marginally over the last year, at 1 percent and 2 percent, respectively. But South Korea, which is the third-largest sender, experienced a nearly 8 percent drop-off. The next-largest sender, Saudi Arabia, was down 17 percent.
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