US Mission To India Witnesses Steep Rise In Student Visa Demand

The United States consular team in India interviewed 3900 student visa applicants during its 8th annual Student Visa Day. According to a statement issued by the US Embassy, 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 prioritize 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 statement read.   
 
The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India have anticipated that the number of student applicants from India will continue to increase, and in view of that, they have expanded the student visa season for 2024 to meet this growing demand.

Mission India highlights our 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. 
 
US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti shared his best wishes for all Indian students and said, “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!,” as quoted in the statement.

Acknowledging the occasion, Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs Russel Brown said, “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.”

As per the US Embassy statement, 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.