Despite the pandemic, more than 55,000 Indian students and exchange visitors to the United States were given student visas, an all-time high.
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India have already interviewed a record number of students for the winter studen… https://t.co/B006WzmE4t
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) 1641913022000
“In the interests of the health and safety of visa applicants and our team, we will not be opening additional in-person student appointments for the month of January. We thank all prospective applicants for their continued patience & understanding during these unprecedented times,” the Embassy said in a tweet.
However, the US embassy has also informed applicants that is not planning to cancel previously scheduled appointments. “Currently, we are not planning to cancel previously scheduled student appointments. We continue to monitor the rapid spread of Covid-19 across India and the latest health and safety guidelines issued by the CDC and the government of India,” it added.
Besides, Indian visa customers can still apply via post by the postal process or through emergency visa services resumed by VFS Global in early December 2021.
The uptick in applications has brought on speculations that the number of Indians visiting the US for studies will increase this year, in comparison to last year. The 2021 Open Doors Report, says the number of Indians studying in the US has decreased by about 13 per cent in 2020-21 in comparison to the previous academic year.The overall decrease in the number of international students, in the same period, in the US was about 15 per cent.
One of the top choices for students, the US welcomes close to 1 million Indian and foreign nationals. Out of which 150,000 lakh Indian students travelled to the US on a student visa.
