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Mumbai: Speaking on the sidelines of the seventh annual Student Visa Day, Consular Chief at the U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, John Ballard, told the Free Press Journal that authorities are aiming to increase visa appointments by 20% for Indian students this year.
“We intend to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students approximately by 20%. We are seeing a high demand from Indian students, and expect to meet them unlike last year's post-pandemic era when we had staffing and other issues,” said Ballard.
Riding high on the commitment to grant a record number of student visas to Indians this year, the US celebrated its Student Visa Day countrywide today with consular officers from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai interviewing almost 3,500 Indian student visa applicants.
Ambassador Eric Garcetti and Consuls General throughout India congratulated visa recipients as they prepared to join the growing ranks of Indian students who have chosen to study in the US.
Acting CG’s words of appreciation for Indian students
Filling in for U.S. Consul General in Mumbai, Mike Hankey, Acting CG Scott Ticknor addressed the US-bound students, at the Consulate office in Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), who posed for photos and celebrated with their peers in securing their dream of studying in the North American country.
"Deciding and applying for colleges can be a big deal and proves to be daunting at times but I hope that the atmosphere and resources in this room make you feel you made a great decision to study in the US,” stated Ticknor, who added that Americans appreciate the incredible contributions of international students at the US campuses.
Acting CG, U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai, Scott Ticknor addresses students on Student Visa Day. | U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai
Students relay their reasons behind choosing the US
Armed with visa confirmations on their side, the prospective students are heaving a sigh of relief as they will finally fly to their dream study destination in the coming months.
“The US offers multiple domains and provides expertise which is necessary but the visa process was challenging as there were doubts about how to start, what needs to be done, which documents are required, and more but eventually I overcame the obstacles,” said Mrunali Salvi, who is pursuing Master’s in Medical Technology Quality.
While others like Tejaswini Kshirsagar felt the process was seamless and were excited to travel to the US for better opportunities.
“I am pursuing a Management Information System which balances the technical and management fields well. As India doesn’t have enough opportunities in the field it made sense for me to go to the US, which has a lot to offer in terms of faculty, facilities, and career prospects,” stated Tejaswini.
Addressing concerns, misconceptions around study visa interviews
The visa appointments, which began on June 1, are usually hinged on by students with anxiety or stress being a part and parcel of the process.
“I was a little nervous during my interview, infact I fumbled a lot during my interview but if you correctly answer your questions while also having strong resources to finance yourself, it won’t be an issue,” said Anuj Rane, who got into Rutgers Business School in New Jersey.
On the other hand, letting concerns about visa interviews come in the way of doing a ‘first in the family’ was not an option for Prathamesh Joshi.
“I am the first in my family to study in the US. I am yet to inform my parents about the visa confirmation, I am sure they will be proud of me,” said Prathamesh, who hails from Pune, and is going to Oakland University to do MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering.
More waivers, better staffing as solutions to visa delays
Eyeing a set target of 1 million visas to Indians in 2023, as envisioned by the Joe Biden administration, study and other non-immigrant visas are being facilitated through various ways.
“To make sure individuals in various visa categories can travel to the US, we are increasing interview waiver opportunities, staffing, and more,” added Ballard, who encouraged students to go to bigger cities like Mumbai, which has more officers and resources at their disposal, for appointments.
Consular Chief, U.S. Consulate General Mumbai, John Ballard poses with students on Student Visa Day. | U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai
Around 300,000 Indian students expected in US by 2025
With a forecast by RedSeer putting the number of Indian pupils abroad at 1.8 million by 2024-2025, experts believe the US will welcome a significant number of students from the lot.
“We can see the number of Indian students going up in two years. According to my estimate, around 300,000 students will study in the US by 2025,” said Ryan Pereira, Regional Head, United States - India Educational Foundation (USIEF), Mumbai.
UG aspirants turn to unique courses in the US
“Psychology, Physical Sciences, Chemistry, and Astrophysics are becoming increasingly popular among UG students and we are also seeing a growing interest in students looking at Community colleges in the US,” added Pereira.
Though the current sentiment signals that the interest to study in the ‘Land Of Dreams’ will not wane anytime soon, authorities hope for a healthy gender balance from India.
US hopes to see more female students from India
“India and US academic collaboration is one of our top priorities which is why we would also like to see Indian female students, who are 37% of the population, increase in numbers,” said Sita Raiter, Public Diplomacy Officer, U.S. Consulate General, Mumbai.
Student Visa Day celebrates the long-standing higher education ties between the United States and India. This year, more than 200,000 Indian students are studying at U.S. academic institutions, representing more than 20 percent of international students currently in the United States.
“Last year, a record-breaking 125,000 Indians were issued student visas, which is more than were issued to any other nationality. Infact, one out of every five student visas was issued in India last year,” said an official statement by Brendan Mullarkey, the acting Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs in India.
