US Embassy announces student visa process update effective Nov 27; check details
The US Embassy in India said that from November 27, all F, M, and J student visa applicants will have to use their own passport information when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment. This is done to prevent fraud and abuse of the appointment system.
- Nov 24, 2023,
- Updated Nov 24, 2023 3:46 PM IST
The US Embassy in India on Friday announced a change in policy for student visa appointments at consulates in Indian cities. This change will be further implemented at the US Embassy.
In a post on X, the Embassy said that from November 27, all F, M, and J student visa applicants will have to use their own passport information when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment. This is done to prevent fraud and abuse of the appointment system.
For the unversed, those applying for type F or M visas are expected to attend a school or program that is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Those applying for a type J visa must receive sponsorship from an organisation approved by the Department of State.
It further stated that any visa appointment booked using an incorrect passport number will be canceled immediately. This rule extends to all Visa Application Centers (VAC) where any profiles or appointments created with inaccurate passport information will not be accepted.
The Embassy also said that those who have already created a profile or booked an appointment using an incorrect passport number should either create a new profile containing the correct passport information or access any existing profile which contains the correct passport information in order to book an appointment. However, this entails paying for a new visa fee receipt if the previous one was associated with the profile that had the wrong passport information.
If an old passport was lost or stolen, a photocopy or other evidence of the old passport number will be required for a US visa appointment at the VAC for admission, the US Embassy said.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador recently confirmed that the US is adding more staff and opening new consulates to lessen the waiting time for visa issuance from India. The new consulates will come up in Ahmedabad, while one consulate was recently opened in Hyderabad.
In an interactive session organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Garcetti said, "I had a look at the new premises for establishing a consulate in Ahmedabad yesterday. Some more people have already joined the Hyderabad consulate as we are increasing the staff strength in the city and premises are being taken up in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad for setting up new consulates.”
He further added that the US embassy is expected to issue 10-15 per cent more visas than normal in the current calendar year. While mentioning that the number of visas issued in India also increased one-third in recent weeks, Garcetti said that the waiting time in issuance of visas happened due to the long queue of applicants.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy also announced that its India team processed more visa applications in 2023 than in any previous year.
Also Read: BharatPe files fresh case against co-founder Ashneer Grover: Report
The US Embassy in India on Friday announced a change in policy for student visa appointments at consulates in Indian cities. This change will be further implemented at the US Embassy.
In a post on X, the Embassy said that from November 27, all F, M, and J student visa applicants will have to use their own passport information when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment. This is done to prevent fraud and abuse of the appointment system.
For the unversed, those applying for type F or M visas are expected to attend a school or program that is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Those applying for a type J visa must receive sponsorship from an organisation approved by the Department of State.
It further stated that any visa appointment booked using an incorrect passport number will be canceled immediately. This rule extends to all Visa Application Centers (VAC) where any profiles or appointments created with inaccurate passport information will not be accepted.
The Embassy also said that those who have already created a profile or booked an appointment using an incorrect passport number should either create a new profile containing the correct passport information or access any existing profile which contains the correct passport information in order to book an appointment. However, this entails paying for a new visa fee receipt if the previous one was associated with the profile that had the wrong passport information.
If an old passport was lost or stolen, a photocopy or other evidence of the old passport number will be required for a US visa appointment at the VAC for admission, the US Embassy said.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador recently confirmed that the US is adding more staff and opening new consulates to lessen the waiting time for visa issuance from India. The new consulates will come up in Ahmedabad, while one consulate was recently opened in Hyderabad.
In an interactive session organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), Garcetti said, "I had a look at the new premises for establishing a consulate in Ahmedabad yesterday. Some more people have already joined the Hyderabad consulate as we are increasing the staff strength in the city and premises are being taken up in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad for setting up new consulates.”
He further added that the US embassy is expected to issue 10-15 per cent more visas than normal in the current calendar year. While mentioning that the number of visas issued in India also increased one-third in recent weeks, Garcetti said that the waiting time in issuance of visas happened due to the long queue of applicants.
Meanwhile, the US Embassy also announced that its India team processed more visa applications in 2023 than in any previous year.
Also Read: BharatPe files fresh case against co-founder Ashneer Grover: Report