What are the new rules for Indian students seeking US visas? Will they make the process smoother?

Planning to get a student visa to the United States?Washington has introduced a slew of new rules for visa applications that are set to take effect today.But what are the new rules? Will it make the process smoother?Let’s take a closer look: What are the new rules?As per the US embassy, all those applying under the F, M, and J student categories must now use their own passport information when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment.As per Financial Express, those that have joined a language training program or an accredited college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, or other academic institution need to apply for the F-1 visa.Those that are planning to take up vocational or other non-academic programs require M-1 visa.As per Business Standard, those participating in exchange programs need the J-1 visa.Research scholars, professors, students, trainees, interns, au pairs, and participants in various cultural exchange programs all require such visas, while their dependants need the J-2 visa.The embassy said applicants who have created a profile or booked an appointment using an incorrect passport number will not be accepted at the Visa Application Centers (VAC).

Such appointments will be cancelled and the visa fee forfeited.

Any person who created a profile or booked an appointment using an incorrect passport number should either:

• Create a new profile containing the correct passport information
• Access any existing profile which contains the correct passport information in order to book an appointment.

This will necessitate a new visa fee receipt – if the old one is attached to a profile with incorrect passport informationAn applicant who has recently renewed their passport, or obtained a new passport after the old passport was lost or stolen, may bring a photocopy or other evidence of the old passport number and they will be allowed to proceed with their appointment, the embassy stated.Will it make the process smoother?The embassy said it is making these changes to stop fraud and abuse of the appointment system.Business Standard quoted Open Doors Report as saying that the number of Indian students going to the US increased 35 per cent in the 2022-2023 academic yearA record 268,923 students went to the United States.Indian students comprise over 25 per cent of the more than a million foreign students in the United States.As per NDTV, the US embassy said it processed a record number of visa applications in 2023.Business Standard quoted US Ambassador Eric Garcetti as saying his country is hiring more staff and establishing more consulates to reduce the visa backlog."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,” Garcetti was quoted as saying by the outlet.

Garcetti had said the US was aiming to process at least a million visas by 2023.

“We’ll find innovative solutions to streamline the visa process, such as reducing the need for in-person interviews, which allows consular teams around the world to assist in processing visas for the growing number of Indian travellers,” Garcetti vowed, as per The Times of India.The newspaper reported that the US embassy in India has brought down the waiting period.Bhavin Thaker, an Ahmedabad-based foreign education consultant, told the newspaper, “The rejection ratio has gone down significantly. About 95% applications are now getting cleared lately. Many people have comfortably received their visas, and this is making things much easier for new aspirants.  Even though dates are available for later months, the option of rescheduling is available.”Added Bharat Patel, a visa consultant from the city, “Student visas are of course, a priority and therefore are most rapidly cleared. Even though visitor visa appointments are available for a later stage by 2025, they can be rescheduled easily to an earlier date.”With inputs from agencies