India raises concerns with US over new visa rules likely to impact students, exchange visitors

With the US tightening visa rules that will bar foreign students and exchange visitors from staying in the country for longer duration, India on Friday said it is engaging US authorities to minimise difficulties faced by Indian nationals over American visa policies.

The new rules are expected to impact Indian students and exchange visitors.

“We’ve seen some reports regarding the visa rules. Visa rules and visa functions and immigration matters are sovereign functions of any state,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

He was responding to a question on changes announced in the visa rules by the US homeland security department.

More from India

“But having said that, let me tell you that as and when there are issues of difficulties, which are brought to our attention, in regard to genuine travellers [and] students, among others, who seek support from the US, we take up those issues with the US side so as to minimise the difficulties that our people face,” Jaiswal said.

The new visa rules for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists effectively ended a decades-old policy that allowed them to remain in the country indefinitely without government oversight.

The new regulations establish a fixed period of admission for nonimmigrant visa holders in F, J, and I classifications, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Thursday.

The F category visas are for students, the J category for exchange visitors, and the I category is for journalists.

The rule also shortens the amount of time F visa holders have to depart or transfer from school and change status after their graduation from 60 to 30 days.