U.S. Mission to India meets skyrocketing student visa demand

NEW DELHI: Consular Team India on Thursday interviewed 3,900 student visa applicants during its eighth annual Student Visa Day. Mission India highlights the Consular team's strong commitment to higher education in the United States and the growing educational ties between the United States and India by organising robust programming for Student Visa Day, where Mission members and EducationUSA colleagues interact with applicants to share information on studying in the United States.

Ambassador Eric Garcetti shared his best wishes for all Indian students, stating, “Every international student on a U.S. campus represents tremendous accomplishment - years of study and hard work that went into preparing for academic excellence. Like those who went before, today's Indian students also represent tremendous potential - the knowledge you will unlock, the new skills and opportunities you will experience, and the relationships you will build are worth the investment. Each student is an ambassador for India. Together we are taking the U.S.-India relationship forward!”

Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs Russel Brown acknowledged the occasion stating, “This year, as Indian students are poised to become the largest group of international students in the United States, the Department of State and our EducationUSA colleagues are excited to welcome student visa applicants on Student Visa Day and throughout the student season.”

The number of Indians who choose to study in the United States has increased significantly in the past three years. In 2023, the U.S. Mission to India issued more student visas than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined. This unprecedented growth reflects the ongoing commitment by the U.S. Government to prioritise students and to facilitate their travel, even as the Mission met a 400 percent rise in demand for all other visas between 2021 and 2023.

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India anticipate continued increase in student visa applicants from India and have expanded the student visa season for 2024 to meet this growing demand.

The United States remains the number one higher education destination for Indian students, with studies showing 69 percent of Indian students prefer a U.S. education to any other destination. Indian students, already the largest group of international graduate students in the United States, go on to gain valuable real-world experience, receiving employment-based U.S. visas or becoming leaders in their fields here in India – reflecting the lifelong benefit of a U.S. education.

Indian students preparing to travel to the United States can learn about the student visa process by visiting bit.ly/EdUSAIndiaPDO24 and joining a pre-departure orientation (PDO) hosted by EducationUSA, the official source of information for higher education in the United States