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).
Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province has identified sites for the construction of a cremation ground for the Hindu and Sikh communities and a graveyard for the Christians.
In 2017, 431 Pakistani Hindus were given Long Term Visa in line with the Modi government's policy to help rehabilitate minorities who fled from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Sikh MPA Mahinder Pall Singh Wednesday sought exemption for Sikhs from wearing helmets while riding bikes, claiming turban saves them from head injury in case of an accident.
Jasjot Singhota was a doctor working for the Guys and St Thomas National Health Service Trust. She was walking on the footpath in Dulwich, south London, when Fitzgerald, a university student, ploughed into her in January 2017, leading to her death.
"I have a great relationship with President Xi Jinping because it's good to have relationships with Russia, China, Japan and India and I have relationships with almost everybody. That's a good thing, not a bad thing, Trump said.
