US Ambassador to New Delhi Eric Garcetti said on Wednesday that in 2022, one out of every five US student visas was issued by its mission in India, surpassing the proportion of the Indian population worldwide. Garcetti further revealed that the United States is set to provide more visa appointments for students this year than ever before.
During the seventh annual Student Visa Day organised by the US Mission in India, Consular Officers from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai conducted interviews with nearly 3,500 Indian student visa applicants.
Garcetti acknowledged that more Indian students choose the United States for higher education than any other country. He highlighted the fact that one out of every five student visas in 2022 was granted in India, exceeding the proportion of the Indian population worldwide. Indians have consistently demonstrated excellence in education and have been a significant part of the student community in the US. The ambassador also mentioned that the US is on track to process the highest number of student visa applications in its history.
According to statistics shared by the embassy, the US Mission in India issued a record-breaking number of over 125,000 student visas in 2022. Indians received the highest number of H&L employment visas (65 per cent) and F1 student visas (17.5 per cent) globally during the same period.
The United States witnessed over 1.2 million visitors from India last year, making Indians one of the largest groups of international visitors to the country. Indian students constitute more than 21 per cent of the total international student population in the US. In the 2021-22 academic year nearly 200,000 Indian students were pursuing their studies in the US.
The embassy emphasised that they have successfully matched their pre-pandemic wait times for over 20 visa categories in the past year. Their current focus is on reducing the wait time for tourist visa applicants who require an interview. Since the beginning of this year, the wait time for in-person tourist visa appointments has decreased by 60 per cent. Student Visa Day is an annual event held in June.