‘Student Visa Day’ at US consulate, applicants up 60% in last 12 months

MUMBAI: Around 90,000 Indian students—up by 60% from the previous year—have applied for US visas for further studies in the last 12 months.
On Thursday, the consulate at Bandra-Kurla Complex opened its doors to scores of young visa applicants as part of its ‘Student Visa Day’. Nearly 1,300 students from the city turned up for the event.
During the academic year 2013-14, close to 1,03,000 students took admission in about 9,000 institutes in the US.Out of the foreign students studying in the US, Indians make up the second largest share, as per figures presented by the consulate.
The event, a day set aside only for student applicants, was simultaneously conducted in Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad. An interactive session with various officials was conducted. “We ensure that long queues are quickly processed and the system has been streamlined to enable transparency,” said Michael Evans, chief, consular section.
“USA is the only country which allows students to design the curriculum as per their requirements. There are ample opportunities for students who may not have faired well academically or come from weaker financial backgrounds,” said Kamya Suri, from the Indo-American Education Society, Ahmedabad.
On the growing instances of racial discrimination in America, US consul general, Thomas Vajda said, “ Universities have made provisions for hotlines and crisis centers to tackle instances of violence, harassment or discrimination on any grounds.”