Indian Students Are Now In High Demand For Visas.

Indian students received record-breaking over 140,000 visas from the US Embassy.

WFY BUREAU USA: The US State Department said, “Our embassy and consulates in India issued an all-time record of more than 140,000 student visas.” Between October 2022 and September 2023, the US Embassy and its consulates in India issued an unprecedented number of student visas—more than 140,000.
The US State Department said on Tuesday, “Our embassy and consulates in India issued an all-time record of more than 140,000 student visas.”

The State Department of the United States said in a statement, “From October 2022 through September 2023 (the 2023 federal fiscal year), the Department of State has issued a near-record level of non-immigrant visas of more than 10 million globally.”

Indian students received a record-breaking over 140,000 visas from the US Embassy. More than 1.2 million Indians travelled to the US last year, according to a statement from the US Embassy in India.

Half of the US embassies and consulates made more non-immigrant visa decisions than ever before. Furthermore, the statement stated that the US embassy had given around eight million business and tourist visitor visas—more than in any previous fiscal year since 2015. Additionally, the US embassies and consulates issued more than 600,000 student visas, the most since Fiscal Year 2017.

The statement went on to say that these accomplishments were made possible by creative solutions, like extending the authority for interview waivers, which let regular travellers who fulfil stringent national security requirements renew their visas without needing to go to an embassy or consulate. “Looking into the future, we are exploring new technologies to assess opportunities to streamline operations, such as the option of domestic renewal in select visa categories,” the statement stated.

The US Mission to India exceeded its target last month, handling one million non-immigrant visa applications by the year 2023. In a statement, the US Embassy and Consulates in India stated that over 1.2 million Indians travelled to the US last year, making it one of the most robust travel partnerships in the world.

Currently, more than 10% of all visa applicants globally are Indian, with 20% of all student visa applicants and 65% of all H&L-category (work) visa applicants being Indian. The statement further added, “The United States welcomes this growth.”

In the meantime, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti paid a visit to the US embassy in the country’s capital earlier this month to supervise the “unprecedented demand” among Indians for US visitor visas. ‘Super Saturday’ saw Garcetti as the special guest assisting the additional visa applications, according to the US Embassy.

Unprecedented numbers of Indian students are studying overseas now.

Enrollment has sharply increased: A record number of Indian students are studying overseas thanks to increased expectations, a rise in applicants from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, and an increase in the amount of financial aid and scholarships provided by foreign universities. At the same time, the number of applications from Chinese students has decreased drastically.

More and more Indian students than ever before are planning to study overseas this autumn. There is a rise in applicants from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities as a result of growing desires for a career and education abroad. Furthermore, this coincides with international universities placing a greater emphasis on India by expanding their scholarship and financial aid programmes. According to several advisors, the number of students enrolling for the autumn semester has doubled from the previous year, and many of them are from Tier II cities. The US has seen a 25–30% increase in enrollment from Tier 2/3 cities.”

Another aspect is that the competition for talent from India has increased multi-fold after the pandemic, so scholarships and bursaries have increased as well.

In addition, the UK government has decided to increase the cost of student and visitor/tourist visas. The British Government has announced that international visitors, including Indians, will now pay ₹1,543 (£15) more for a UK tourist visa valid for less than six months and ₹13,070 (£127) more for a UK student visa.

It was reported earlier that the Canadian student visa process will undergo a significant overhaul. According to a report, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) intends to introduce a new framework for trusted institutions to its student visa system by 2024. This framework is an essential part of a bigger plan to update the IRCC’s International Student Programme (ISP).

France announced last month that it too aims to welcome 30,000 Indian students by 2030, with the purpose of promoting academic achievement, strengthening cultural ties, and strengthening the two countries’ enduring friendship. The embassy and the French Institute made an announcement about the ‘Choose France Tour 2023’ in light of the programme. The education fair, which is being organised by Campus France and the French government, has taken place in four major Indian cities: Chennai on October 8, Calcutta on October 11, Delhi on October 13, and Mumbai on October 15. These education fairs have provided an excellent opportunity for Indian students and their parents to interact with the representatives of more than 40 French higher education institutions present at the fair and explore a wide range of study options, as per the Embassy of France statement.