Students from different parts of India planning to study abroad especially, in universities in the United States of America (USA) are in jeopardy as they are unable to book visa and biometrics appointment because passport and visa offices are either shut or catering to only emergency cases. Students fear missing out on travelling due to visa delays as foreign universities are set to begin academic courses starting from August-September.
Shruti Pandey, a student from Nainital who has secured admission in a university in USA said, "I have not been able to book a visa appointment since the last seven days. I have slept at 12 am and woken up at 4 am to book a slot but, there are over 4,000 to 5,000 students chasing 50 to 200 slots. My course starts from August 2 but, I am unable to even book an emergency visa slot."
Alekya Kastury, a student from Chennai, said, "We have to book slots in two stages, one for student visa or F-1 biometrics and second for personal interview. But there are restrictions on number of times a student can login and the number of clicks. If I exceed 12 to 15 clicks, my account is locked for 72 hours. My course begins in September but most of the time the US Consulate office is shut in Chennai."
Ravikiran Maram, a student from Andhra Pradesh said, "Passport offices, US Embassy and Consulate offices in my state are shut. My MBA programme begins on August 2, in the US University but I am unable to book a visa appointment." Shinjini Agarwal, a student from Bangalore said, "I have to travel to Chennai because there is no US Consulate office at Bangalore. I have got a visa appointment for September-end but my course starts on August 16."
Nick Novak, spokesperson of the US Consulate General Mumbai said, "Students who will begin their programmes on or after August 1, 2021 can apply for an expedited visa appointment up to 60 days prior to their programme's start date and may travel to the United States within 30 days of their program start date. We will continue to add additional appointments throughout the summer as conditions allow."
A student from Mumbai on request of anonymity said, "In order to book an expedited visa appointment, I need to have a prior appointment after my course start date. How are we students supposed to book an expedited visa appointment when there are absolutely no slots being made available? My course begins on August 12, and I am apprehensive that I will not be able to reach on time due to limited slot availability and limited functioning of the US Consulate."
