With an aim to prevent fraud and abuse of the appointment system, the US
Embassy in India has announced changes in the student visa application process
that will become effective from November 27.
The changes will be applicable throughout all embassies across Indian
cities. Students who are applying to study in US, and are going to apply under
the F, M, and J student visa programme, should note the changes.
The US Embassy in India announced on X that from November 27, all F, M,
and J student visa applicants will have to use their own passport information
when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment. This is done to
prevent fraud and abuse of the appointment system.
“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). Their appointments will be cancelled and the visa fee will be lost,” the
US Embassy alerted.
Those applying for type F or M visas are expected to attend a school or
program that is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
Those applying for a type J visa must receive sponsorship from an organisation
approved by the Department of State.
Besides, the US Embassy said those who have already created a profile or
booked an appointment using an incorrect passport number should either create a
new profile containing the correct passport information or access any existing
profile which contains the correct passport information in order to book an
appointment.
However, this entails paying for a new visa fee receipt if the previous
one was associated with the profile that had the wrong passport information.
If an old passport was lost or stolen, a photocopy or other evidence of
the old passport number will be required for a US visa appointment at the VAC
for admission, said the US Embassy.
Meanwhile, the US Ambassador recently confirmed that US is adding more
staff and opening new consulates to lessen the waiting time for visa issuance
from India. The new consulates will come up in Ahmedabad, while one consulate
was recently opened in Hyderabad.
The US Embassy earlier had announced that its India team processed more
visa applications in 2023 than in any previous year.
NE Watch Desk
