US mission in India issues record-breaking 82K student visas

CHENNAI: The US mission in India has issued a record-breaking 82,000 student visas in 2022 to date and the Indian students received more US student visas than any other country.

The Embassy in New Delhi and four Consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai prioritised the processing of student visa applications from May to August to ensure that as many qualified students as possible made it to their programmes of study in time for scheduled start dates, according to a release on Thursday.

Charge d’Affaires (CDA) Patricia Lacina hailed the U.S. Mission in India’s achievement, commenting, “We issued over 82,000 student visas this summer alone, more than in any previous year.”

"This shows that the United States remains for most Indian families the most sought-after country for higher education,” he said adding that it also highlights the important contributions Indian students make to both our countries as they build life-long connections with American peers to maintain and grow international partnerships, working collectively to address current and future global challenges.”

Indian students comprise nearly 20 per cent of all international students studying in the United States, with the Open Doors report in 2021 showing there were 167,582 students from India in the 2020-2021 academic year.

The United States has remained open and welcoming to international students throughout the global pandemic.