The United States Mission in India has announced that its Embassy and Consulates has approved more student visa applicants in 2021 than ever before, despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. Over 55,000 students and exchange visitors are boarding planes to study in the United States, and more students are being approved every day, it said in a statement.
The US Mission said in the statement released on Monday that it looks forward to another great student season as it facilitates study for spring semester students over the coming few months.
Recognising the achievement, Ambassador Atul Keshap, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in New Delhi stated:
“Studying in the United States is a unique and often life-changing experience for Indian students, granting fresh, global perspectives and frequently leading to invaluable career opportunities. Indian students also enrich US society, achieve high levels of academic success, and deepen the bonds of friendship between our countries. The many hard-working women and men of the US Mission to India are proud to facilitate their travel and study.”
The US Mission stated that the COVID-19 pandemic created tremendous logistical challenges for the US Mission’s consular teams. Embassies and Consulates typically begin interviewing fall semester students for a given year in May, but the second wave of COVID-19 forced the Mission to delay the commencement of its student visa season by two months, it stated.
In July, the US Embassy and Consulates opened additional hours for visa appointments and made every possible effort to ensure timely arrival for academic programmes for as many students as possible, the Mission said, adding that this year, more students than ever before received visas to study in the United States.
For more information on how to make dreams of US study a reality, including information on academic consultations during the college application process, students can visit the following website: https://educationusaindia.usief.org.in/
Interested students can also participate in upcoming EducationUSA University Virtual Fairs, to be held on August 27, for prospective graduate students and September 3, for prospective undergraduate students. These fairs provide a unique opportunity for Indian students to engage with US University representatives and EducationUSA advisers to better understand the wide spectrum of educational opportunities available in the United States.
As the summer student rush dissipates, the Mission will turn its energy and effort to other visa categories, the US Mission added.
