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By DIYANA PFORDTEN & SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI    PETALING JAYA: Malaysian student arrivals to the United States of America have fallen this year amid uncertainties over US foreign student policies. According to figures from the US National Travel and Tourism Office website, the number of Malaysians arriving in the United States on student visas from January to April this year dropped by 7% to 1,754 compared to 1,887 in the same period last year.  Education consultants said the uncertainties, added with rising costs due to a stronger US dollar as well as shifting preferences, are contributing to the decline. They say that these factors have led some students to consider alternative countries, or study programmes that offer shorter stints in the US. Malaysia's 7% drop is the largest among Asean countries.  Thailand had the second biggest decline at -3.1%, followed by Indonesia at -2.3%. All Asean countries recorded a drop in studen...

By DIYANA PFORDTEN & SHYAFIQ DZULKIFLI   PETALING JAYA: Malaysian student arrivals to the US have taken a recent hit, with experts attributing the decline to rising costs, political uncertainty, and shifting global preferences. Educational consultants said students are now looking closer to home or to countries offering shorter, cheaper, and more secure options. According to US National Travel and Tourism Office, Malaysians arriving to US with student visa from January to April this year dropped by 7% compared to same period last year. Malaysia's 7% drop is the biggest among Asean countries. This was followed by Thailand with a 3.1% decrease and Indonesia with a 2.3% decline over the same period. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, annual Malaysian student arrivals to the US typically averaged around 8,000.  However, the number has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, as it stood at just 5,223 last year.  When approached for c...