Key Takeaways
- The US has paused scheduling new interviews for international students under the F, M, and J visa categories.
- The Government of India prioritizes the welfare of Indian students abroad and hopes for merit-based consideration of visa applications.
- In 2023-24, 330,000 Indian students were studying in the US.
New Delhi: India today hoped the US will consider the visa applications of Indian students on merit and that they will be able to join their academic programmes on time, amid reports that the US has paused scheduling new interviews for international students under the F, M, and J visa categories.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing in response to a question:
“We have seen reports suggesting US government’s updated guidance regarding students and exchange visitor visa applicants.
“The welfare of Indian students abroad remains of utmost priority to the Government of India. We will continue to follow further developments in this regard.
“While we note that issuance of visa is a sovereign function, we hope that the application of Indian students will be considered on merit and they will be able to join their academic programs on time.
“There are other categories of visas which are also issued, and hopefully these are functions which lie in the sovereign domain, and we should be respectful of them.”
“In 2023-24, 330,000 students were there. This year, the updated figure we don’t have … we are talking about 2023-24. For updated figures, you can also visit the relevant websites of the US Government. “
The US government is considering tightening social media scrutiny for visa applicants, which may impact Indian students’ ability to obtain visas.
