US: Highest number of Indian student visas approved amid COVID pandemic

In spite of the COVID-19 outbreak, this year the United States has granted the largest number of student visa applications from India than ever before. According to a statement released by the US mission in India on Monday, to study in the US, over 55,000 students, as well as exchange visitors, will be boarding aircraft and more and more students are being accepted each day as a result of these efforts. The United States Mission anticipates another successful student year as it promotes study for spring semester students in the upcoming months. 

More about Indian Student Visas

The US Embassy in New Delhi's Chargé d'Affaires, Ambassador Atul Keshap, stated that for Indian students, studying in the United States is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that provides them with new views and often leads to important employment possibilities. These Indian students also contribute to the enrichment of American society, achieve great academic excellence, and strengthen the goodwill between the two countries. He even said that that the US Mission to India's many dedicated women and men are honoured to assist them in their journey and studies. 

The epidemic has posed logistical problems for the consular employees, according to the Mission. They said that normally, Embassies and Consulates start interviewing fall semester candidates for the following year in May, but the Mission was obliged to postpone the start of its student visa process by two months due to the strike of the second wave of COVID-19. 

It further said that as soon as circumstances permitted the continuation of the visa process without jeopardising candidates' safety and health, consular employees sought to not only match but also exceed, their pre-COVID pandemic workload in July. 

According to the Mission, the embassies and consulates worked additional hours to conduct visa interviews and tried every attempt to secure that as many participants as feasible to arrive on time for courses. As per the report, in the end, their attempts paid off, because more students are granted visas to study in the United State than ever before.

Difficulty other countries facing on getting VISA for the US

On the other hand, the announcement by the US embassy in India comes amid allegations that students in a number of other nations are having difficulty obtaining visas despite the fact that courses have already begun. While the visa processing is being slowed as a result of limited capacity at US embassies and consulates across the world as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, rendering some students overseas unable to return for the beginning of the school semester. 

In the fall session of 2020, new foreign student enrolment in the United States fell by 43% from the previous year, weeks after Covid put the globe on a complete lockdown. As per an enrollment survey conducted by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the majority of additional students who actually got it onto campus in person has decreased by 72%. 

(Image credit: PTI)