According to a Times of India report, students who had earlier been rejected for the US F1 visa even 3-4 times are now hopeful of going to study in their dream country after the increase in slots. The F1 visa is issued for a period of five years for students who want to study their master’s course in the US.

 The report also notes that many candidates have the US consulate in Hyderabad to open up more F1 visa slots since they have to travel to cities like Delhi or Chennai for the visa process.

An earlier report by LiveMint in June noted that the United States had opened the visa appointments for F1 student visas across its consulates in India and the appointments were available from mid-July to mid-August.

Indian students comprise over 21 per cent of the total population of international students in the United States. During the 2021-2022 academic year, nearly 200,000 Indian students were studying in the United States.

Speaking about the close ties between the two countries, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti had earlier said, “More Indians come to the United States as students than from any other country in the world. One out of every five student visas was issued right here in India in 2022 which is, by the way, more than the proportion of Indian population in the world. Indians have not only pursued education in the US but for decades have shown excellence. We are on track to process the highest number of visa applications for students in our history.”

Updated: 06 Aug 2023, 02:11 PM IST