US issues record 82,000 student visas in India
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The US Embassy said on Thursday that it had given a record 82,000 student visas in India in the previous year, with more Indian students going to the United States to study than from some other country in the world.
This comes amid reports of long wait times for short-term business and tourist (B1/B2) visas to the United States. With the earliest appointments available only in mid-2024.
This showed that the US stayed the most sought-after destination for Indian students. Patricia A Lacina, Charge D’Affaires, US Embassy in India, said on the microblogging platform Twitter.
“This year the US Mission in India has given the largest number of student visas to date,” she said.
United States issues record 82,000 Student Visas in India
“We celebrate the important commitments Indian students make to both our nations. As they build lifelong connections with American peers to maintain and develop international partnerships,” Lacina added.
Last year, as well, the United States gave a record 62,000 visas as travel opened up after the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. Closures because of the virus outbreak had resulted in embassies and consulates not giving student visas for the vast majority of 2020.
Throughout the last years, China had the largest number of students in the US followed by India. The Embassy has been prioritizing the issuance of student visas once it resumed operations. To attempt to guarantee that their schedules were not affected and that they could make it to the US in time for the beginning of their academic year.
[Update and Short-Term Predictions On Visa Bulletin Movement]
According to information delivered by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) earlier this year. The number of Indian students in the United States expanded by more than 12% in 2021. While those from China, which accounts for the biggest number, dropped by more than 8%.
In its yearly report, USCIS said the pandemic continued to impact international student enrolment in the United States in 2021.
