US to start student visa application process from mid-May
Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 May, 2023 03:47 PM
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The US will begin processing student visa applications for the Fall Session with the first batch of appointments available from mid-May.
"Attention students! In mid-May, the US Mission to India will open the first batch of appointments for the upcoming student visa season," the US Consulate General in Hyderabad announced via a tweet.
"Additional appointments will be released later in the season. Prepare for your appointments and stay tuned for more student visa related announcements," it said.
The US consulates processed nearly 1.25 lakh visa applications of students in India last year.
The country intends to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students by 30 per cent this summer.
In a much needed breather for students, the State Department announced in February that the 'F' and 'M' categories of student visas can now be issued up to a year in advance.
Previously, international students could apply only 120 days before the start of their study program.
Now they can submit their application 365 days in advance.
The development comes with the State Department announcing a hike in the fees of student visas.
Beginning May 30, the fees for non-petition based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185 (Rs 15,140 for Indians).
More than $600,000 has been raised for the treatment of a 13-year-old Indian-American hate crime victim who remains in coma after being struck down intentionally in April by a motorist who thought she was a Muslim.
The Indian owner of a Dubai-based Malayalam TV station has fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as he struggled to keep it afloat amid mounting losses, leaving unpaid employees in limbo, the media reported.
Indian IT companies, which account for a large number of H-1B applications, are likely to face the additional financial burden because of this proposed increase in H-1B filing fees.
A US federal judge has issued a stay order against President Donald Trump's administration's rule to make it easier to deport students for even innocent mistakes in following visa regulations and prevent them from returning for as long 10 years by making subtle changes in the regulation.
India and nations like Germany, Brazil and Japan are "absolutely needed" as permanent members of a reformed and enlarged UN Security Council, the French envoy to the UN has said.
