The US embassy in India is anticipating a change in the visa application system procedure for individuals applying in Summer 2022 as thousandsof Indian students set the seal on studying in US universities inFall2022.
Donald L Heflin, minister-counsellor for consular affairs at the US Embassy in Delhi, said they interviewed more candidates and awarded more student visas in India last year than ever before.He also anticipates that the number of student visas issued this year will exceed the 62,000 issued in 2021.
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In Summer 2021, it was announced that overseas students will be able to physically return to US universities, which had been closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thereafter, the US Embassy in India announced the opening of vast numbers of interview slots to lure Indian students to apply to higher educational institutions in the US for the Fall 2021 session.
In 2021, the US Embassy had two major issues:First, the global computer system broke due to the large volume of student visa applicants from India. Second, persons who were not legitimate candidates claimed a huge number of student visa interview slots, Heflin said.
The US government has now implemented software improvements to ensure that students who are denied a visa for the first time in the summer-spring of 2022 will not be able to schedule another visa interview appointment for the same year.
These changes in procedures are intended to address both the concerns of interview slots being unavailable for genuine students and the blockage of slots by non-student agents.
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Parents who have had their B1-B2 visas expire in the previous few years can try to get a dropbox appointment to renew their visas, Heflin added.
He went on to say that by 2023, the US consulate facilities in India should be fully operational again.
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Source: The Times of India
