The US wants to flood its universities with Indian students. This year, America has increased Indian Study visa appointments by more than 30 percent. The announcement was made by US Consulate General Mike Hankey during his visit to India. Unsurprisingly, out of the goal of approving a million study visas this year, the US has already processed half a million.
And the obsession is mutual among Indians. America is one of the favorite destinations for Indians to study abroad. Last year alone, India flocked over 1.25 lakh students to study in America.
The US Mission in India will be officially opening up the second round of its student visa appointments from June 1 till mid-July 20233. In light of more demand, it will open up more slots from mid-July through August so that every student has an opportunity to appear for the interviews. This is good news for Indian students who want to pursue their higher education in reputed US Universities like Stanford, Cambridge, and Harvard University.
International Students Build the American Economy:
There were 948,519 international students studying in the United States in the 2021/22 academic year. This is an increase from the previous year, when 914,095 international students made part of the American education system.
The majority of international students studying in the United States are originally from China and India, totaling 290,086 students and 199,182 students respectively in the 2021/22 school year.
Additionally, the number of Indians studying in America has been increasing for the past few years.
International students contributed $38.7 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 415,000 jobs during the 2019/20 academic year. This represents a 4.4% decline in economic contributions and a 4.6% decline in job support from the previous year, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
International students typically pay higher tuition fees than domestic students and also spend on housing, transportation, food, and other services. The average tuition and fees for international undergraduate students at public four-year institutions were $26,820 in 2019/20, compared with $10,440 for in-state students and $26,820 for out-of-state students.
International students also bring cultural diversity, academic excellence, and global perspectives to U.S. campuses and communities. They often participate in extracurricular activities, volunteer work, and cultural exchange programs. They also enhance the research and innovation capacity of U.S. universities and industries.
Study visa consultants are the backbone of Indian study visa programs:
In recent years, India has become a hub of foreign study visa consultants. As per visafirms.com, there are over 1250 best study abroad consultants in India, which help Indian students go overseas. But, apart from these, there are thousands of other lesser-known immigration consultants mushroomed around the country. These study-abroad consultants make sure that the dreams of students to study overseas are nurtured.
Additionally, study abroad consultants encourage students to go abroad to study.
As per the data of India Today, almost 67% of the abroad-going students seek aid from a consultant. According to the US Department of State, the worldwide student visa approval rate for the F-1 visa category (for academic and language study) in 2020 was 77.6%. Study visa consultants often assist students in exploring scholarship opportunities and financial aid options to make studying abroad more affordable.
In the 2019-2020 academic year, Indian students received a total of $1.4 billion in financial aid from US colleges and universities, as reported by the Open Doors Report 2020.
Word of caution from Canada:
However, one should also be aware that around 15% of Indian student visa applications consist of either fake documents or sub-standard documents. The same issue was encountered by 700 Indian students in Canada. A few months back, the Canadian Border Security Agency found forged visa documents of 700 Indian students, who now face deportation.
Although the students pinned the blame for fake documentation on their visa consultant named Brijesh Mishra. Brijesh ran a visa consultant service “Education Migration Services” in Jalandhar, Punjab.
He allegedly produced fake offer letters for easy visa processing. These offer letters belonged to reputed universities, which have higher chances of visa acceptance. Hence, most of these students entered Canada without any issues.
Although the issue gained massive media attention, the students had to ultimately face deportation. This brings us to our final point that it is important to cross-check the documents for the study visa
However, as soon as students landed in Canada, the consultant informed them that their admission to the selected college could not go through. And hence were admitted to some other college. Left without any option, these students pursued their degrees in other colleges.
Today, these students have already passed college. Some have begun working. The incident only came to light when these students applied for Permanent residency in Canada.
As per students, they were kept in the dark during the entire process. However, it is the sole responsibility of the students to cross-check all the documents. It is their life at stake. So, they owe the full responsibility.
Conclusion:
The United States is actively seeking Indian students who aspire to study abroad. With top-ranked universities, extensive scholarship opportunities, and a diverse and thriving job market, America offers an attractive destination for Indian students. The increasing number of Indian students studying in the United States reflects the growing recognition of the benefits and opportunities available for the students. The demand for study visa consultants further underscores the importance of expert guidance in navigating the application and visa process. As Indian students consider studying abroad, America remains a prime choice for a quality education and promising career prospects.