US Mission in India Hosts Annual Student Visa Day, Gears Up for Record Number Applications

US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Wednesday along with consuls general throughout India congratulated visa recipients as they prepare to join Indian students studying in the US. The US mission in India held the seventh annual student visa day countrywide and consular officers from New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai interviewed almost 3,500 Indian student visa applicants, according to a press release.

The United States is considered as one of the world’s leading destinations for international students.

“I first came to India as a young student, and I’ve seen in my own life how transformative these experiences can be,” said Eric Garcetti.

“Student exchange is at the heart of US-India relations, and with good reason. A US education provides students a world-class education and access to a global network of knowledge, laying the foundation for a lifetime of understanding. That’s why we are here today, to encourage these opportunities for as many Indian students as possible,” he further added.

India and the United States celebrate long-standing higher education ties on student visa day.

In 2023, more than 200,000 Indian students remain enrolled in American colleges and universities, making up more than 20% of international students currently in the United States.

“Last year, a record-breaking 125,000 Indians were issued student visas, which is more than were issued to any other nationality. In fact, one out of every five student visas were issued in India last year. This year, we will interview more students than ever before,” Brendan Mullarkey, the acting minister counsellor for consular affairs in India, said.

A separate Times of India report citing the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said that Indians were allotted 72.6% or 3.20 lakh out of the 4.41 lakh total H-1B visa applications in the fiscal year 2022.

It also said the USCIS approved 1.32 lakh H-1B visa applications for initial employment, registering a rise of 9,000 more H-1B visas compared to the 1.23 lakh visas approved in 2021.