An analysis of non-immigrant visas by the US State Department till July 2022 revealed that although China remains at the helm for the total number of international students, Indian students have received twice the number of visas as their Chinese counterparts.
The Indian Express found out after scanning the official website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs that 77,799 Indian students have received F-1 visas as compared to 46,145 visas issued to the Chinese. Most of the visas were issued between May and July.
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An F-1 visa is given to students who wish to study in colleges and universities in the USA while an M-1 visa is for those who want to study vocational or other non-academic courses. F-1 visas comprise 90% of the total student visas issued by the USA.
Chinese students comprise the largest cohort of international students in the USA followed closely by India and South Korea.
In 2021, 99,431 students from China were given US student visas whereas 87,258 visas were issued to Indian students.
In 2019, Indian students contributed USD 8 billion to the US economy while the Chinese contributed close to USD 16 billion.
The US government took several steps to ensure that the international student market flourishes after the Covid-19 pandemic blip. They have simplified the student visa application process, opened thousands of interview slots and waived interviews for some categories of students.
Students who have earlier been issued US visas can drop from the interview.
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Besides the USA, the UK is another country that is witnessing a surge in the number of Indian students receiving student visas. They have issued approx 1.17 lakh visas to Indian students.
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Source: The Financial Express
