Indian students, here’s how entering the US could be easier for you
2 min read
Good news for Indian students: you shouldn’t have to book a US visa appointment in India for an interview at all. Thanks to a new initiative, past US visa holders will actually want to avoid the interview portion entirely to get their study visas, thereby shortening the overall application process.
The declaration was made on Tuesday at the 6th annual Student Visa Day event in India. “Under new visa rules, students who have recently held any US visa can apply using the drop box service. To bypass the in-person interview. This is only one of the many steps we are taking,” Patricia Lacina, Charge D’Affaires at the US Embassy, was quoted saying in The Indian Express.
Lacina pointed out the need to simplify and expedite the visa application process for Indian students. Particularly since they now make up the second-largest international student population in the US.
Good news for Indian students | Entering into the US is now easier
“Student mobility and individuals to-individuals connections it forgets have been a cornerstone of the US-India relationship. For the past 75 years, and remains so today,” she added.
“Our consulate professionals are hard to work interviewing student visa candidates across India. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Mission India gave more student visas in 2021 than ever before.”
The numbers are expected to take off further this summer as more slots are granted for students to get a US visa appointment in India. The Embassy tries to surpass last year’s record of 62,000 issuances. To Indian nationals admitted to American universities, The Indian Express reports.
Over 3,000 Indian students were interviewed across various US consular offices all through the country at the time of the declaration. Including US Embassy for New Delhi, and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata.
More slots for students to book a US visa appointment in India
In January this year, the US Embassy in India temporarily shut down all in-person appointments. Because of a flood of applications got in the Fall-Winter period. Eliminating the need for a walk-in interview can greatly shorten the process. Of getting an approval stamp to greenlight students’ entry into the US.
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Moreover, addressing ThePrint, Don Heflin, the Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs. The US Embassy in New Delhi administered some valuable guidance for Indian students to get approvals. Also, “Think ‘for what reason would I like to concentrate on this discipline,’ ‘why this region of the nation,’ and ‘how would I plan to manage this degree.’ And be prepared to spit the answer out in a minute,” he said.
