The number of US visa applications from Indian students is likely to increase this year, as anticipated by the US Mission in India.
During its 8th annual Student Visa Day held on June 13, the consulate staff in India interviewed about 3,900 students, VisaGuide.World reports.
To fulfill the increasing demand, the US Mission in India has extended the student visa season for 2024. The acting Consul General at the US Embassy in New Delhi, Syed Mujtaba Andrabi, told the Press Trust of India (PTI) that the consular team will keep the same focus to serve as many students as possible.
For instance, we normally start the student summer season in June and it goes on till the end of August. This year we started in May, and it will continue to go through till the end of August, just to maximize the number of students, give that opportunity to first-time qualified applicants to apply for interviews.
Indian Students Obtained Highest Number of US Visas in 2023 Among International Applicants
According to a recent press release by the US Mission to India, the number of Indian students who wish to study in the US has increased notably over the last three years. In 2023, the US granted more student visas than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined, as further noted in the statement.
This unprecedented growth reflects the ongoing commitment by the U.S. Government to prioritize students and to facilitate their travel, even as the Mission met a 400 percent rise in demand for all other visas between 2021 and 2023.
Moreover, the US Bureau of Consular Affairs statistics show that in 2023, Indian students obtained the highest number of visas from the US compared to other foreign nationalities.
During this year, the US received a total of 749,461 student visa applications, both F1 and F2. Of those, 472,262 were approved, while the remaining 277,199 were refused.
Meanwhile, Indian students accounted for more than 28 percent of approved US visas in 2023.
According to the US Mission to India, the US remains the top choice for higher education among Indian students, with studies showing that 69 percent of them prefer studying in the US over any other country.