The number of student United States visas issued to Kenyan students grew by 58 per cent in 2023, as revealed by a new report from the United States Department of State.
The report, which analyses the US visa trend between 2022 and 2023, revealed that Kenyan students who received F1 student visas grew from 1,105 in 2022 to 1,746, ranking as the second-fastest-growing country.
With the increase, Kenya outranked countries such as China, Myanmar, Uganda, Vietnam, Taiwan and India.
In the ranking, China emerged fourth, as the number of students who received F1 student visas increased by 39 per cent in 2023.
Kyrgyzstan received the largest increase in F1 student visas, rising from 708 visas issued in 2022 to 1,245 in 2023 - a 75.9 per cent increment.
In Africa, Kenya was the fastest-growing African student population for F1 visas, followed by Ghana (52.1 per cent) and Uganda (29.9 per cent).
An F1 student visa is a visa for students looking for an opportunity to study at a college or a university or study English at an institute in the US.
From the 2023 data, the US Department of State issued over 446,200 student visas, indicating the highest number of student visas issued in a single year since 2016.
"Over the last few years, global competition for international students has intensified. For example, in Canada, an estimated 515,000 student visas were issued from January to November 2023," the report read in part.
"However, new or upcoming restrictive government policies in other destinations are likely to encourage more international students to choose the US."
The report highlights the opportunities accorded to Kenyan students despite the recent policy shifts in other countries limiting the number of immigrants.
On the contrary, the United States has experienced consistent growth post-pandemic, attracting numerous students due to its stable policy stance.
