Talking about the application volume, student visas are ahead followed by non-immigrant visas for work, business and tourism purposes such as H1B, B1, and B2 visas (representational image).
The decision comes in the backdrop of US Consul General Mike Hankey saying that his country is aiming to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students by 30%.
The United States Mission in India will open student visa interview slots for Indian students by next month, said John Ballard, consular chief of the US Consulate General in Mumbai. This news has brought cheer to Indian students who aspire to study abroad and build a successful career. Speaking at a media roundtable on the US Mission to India’s consular operations, John Ballard said, “We will officially open most of our study visa placements from June 1 to mid-July. In light of the high demands. ,
US consular to open more slots from mid-July through August so that every Indian student gets an opportunity to appear for the interview. The decision comes in the backdrop when the US Consul General in Mumbai Mike Hanke said his country is aiming to increase visa interviews 30% increase in placements for Indian students. It is expected that the US mission in India will observe the biggest decline in the number of students from India this fiscal year between June-August.
In the fiscal year 2022, the US consular issued 1,25,000 study visas to Indian students. Hugo Rodriguez, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS), Bureau of Consular Affairs, US said, “Mission India has issued nearly two and a half times the number of non-immigrant visas in the last 6 months as compared to the same period last year. We are processing more visas now than in 2019 before the pandemic hit.”
This year, it is expected that more than one million visas for Indian students may be received by the US. As stated by the consular chief, the mission has already secured around 500,000 visas from India. Speaking of application volume, student visas are next followed by non-immigrant visas for work, business, and tourism purposes such as H1B, B1, and B2 visas. Over the past few years, fraudulent applications have become a cause of concern for authorities, especially in countries such as Canada, Germany and Australia, with the US stepping up to tackle it.
Sharing his views on fake applications, Hugo Rodriguez said that the team is actively looking into all the documents so that if the holders of fake documents remain ineligible for lifetime visa. He further said that the application process is free and accessible so students should avoid any agent.