Event, News by admin Sep 30, 2024
US issues record student visas in India in 2024; fourth year in a row
The US has once again issued a record number of student visas in India this year, exceeding last year's figure of over 1.4 lakh. All first-time student applicants secured appointments at one of five consular sections in India. Indian students now represent the largest group of international graduate students in the US, constituting more than a quarter of foreign students.
NEW DELHI: The US has once again issued a record number of student visas in India this year. While the exact number is not yet known, it is more than the over 1.4 lakh student visas issued last year — which was the most for any country globally then. Meanwhile, the US Embassy here Monday said it has “ has opened an additional 250,000 visa appointments for Indian travellers”, including tourists, skilled workers, and students.
“The new slots will help hundreds of thousands of Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating travel… The US mission to India has already surpassed 10 lakh non-immigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year,” it said.
“During our student visa season this (2024) summer, we processed record numbers, and all first-time student applicants were able to obtain an appointment at one of our five consular sections around India,” the US Embassy said in a statement Monday.
US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden set an ambitious goal to improve and expedite the visa process and I’m proud to say that we have delivered on that promise. Our consular teams at the embassy and four consulates work tirelessly to ensure that we meet the surging demand.”
In 2023, the US consular team in India had issued over 1.4 lakh student visas – more than in any other country in the world setting a record for the third year in a row. “Taken individually, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world. As a result of these surging numbers, Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the United States and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States,” the embassy had said in a statement this Jan.
Source: timesofindia
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