US announces the first round of  student visa appointments in India for September intake. 

The first batch of appointments for student visas in India for the September 2024 intake has been made public by the US Embassy.

” It’s almost Student Visa Season! The first tranche of student visa appointments for interviews in late May has been released. In the coming weeks we’ll release additional appointment tranches for June, July, and August,” the U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad, announced.

US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, stressed US commitment to expediting Indian student visa processing in a recent interview at the American Center.

Garcetti disclosed that US President Joe Biden has given him special instructions to speed the Indian student visa application process, demonstrating the urgency of this matter. “It’s the first time, I think, in American history that a President has told an ambassador to get those visa waiting times down,” he said. Anticipating an additional surge in visa applications this year, the US Mission in India is aggressively striving to guarantee that more Indian students can study in the US.

Last year, the US introduced new guidelines for those applying for student visas in an effort to fight fraud and stop the abuse of the visa appointment system. All F, M, and J visa applicants must input their accurate passport information starting on November 27 when setting up their profile and booking their visa appointment. The purpose of this action is to guarantee more accountability and accuracy in the visa application procedure.

As per the recently implemented guideline, those who utilize false or inaccurate passport information when creating a profile or making an appointment will not be allowed to use the Visa Application Centers (VAC). This step is intended to improve the appointment system’s integrity and guarantee that legitimate applications are given preference.

Exchange visitors and international students generally use the F, M, and J visa categories. The US seeks to reduce fraudulent actions, such double-booking or changing appointments, and expedite the process for people requesting student and exchange visas by requiring accurate passport information.

Applicants who disregard this policy run the risk of having their appointments canceled or experiencing processing delays. When creating their profile and setting up an appointment, applicants for student visas must make sure that the information on their passport is correct and current.

Over 140,000 student visas were granted by the US consulate team in India in 2022—a record amount that exceeded that of any other nation. As more Indian students choose to continue their education in the US, it is anticipated that this record will be beaten once more. The consular staff’s “heroic” efforts to meet the increasing demand were commended by Ambassador Garcetti, who also brought attention to the fact that they expedite the process by working on weekends and setting aside special days for the processing of student visas.