US Department of State- Mission India, Consular & Embassy Updates
By
Dev B. Viswanath, Esq.
Great news for people in India that are applying for student visas. There has been a lot of worry about the President Proclamation and whether students were going to be able to get visa appts and visas in time to start their education degrees.
Student visas remain a top priority for the U.S. Mission to India and they are making every attempt to facilitate student travel in time for the fall semester. As such, on June 14, 2021 the US Consulates will open limited July and August student visa appointments at posts across India. Students may visit the website, https://ustraveldocs.com/in, to view availability and schedule an appointment.
Prior to your visa interview, please review your I-20 program start date. Students beginning a new program with a program start date on or after August 1 may travel to the United States up to 30 days prior to the program start date and do not need to submit a request for a national interest exception, as long as the visa is issued. Continuing students may also resume their programs on or after August 1, and travel 30 days before their program resumption date. The Consulates are unable to approve expedite requests for Fall 2021 students with scheduled appointments in July or August. If your appointment date may result in a potentially late start, please reach out to your school to discuss options.
On April 30, 2021 President Biden signed Presidential Proclamation 10199 suspending most nonimmigrant travel from India. In light of the travel suspension and due to the current pandemic situation in India, most other routine nonimmigrant visa and VAC appointments at U.S. Embassy New Delhi and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai remain extremely limited. The consular posts are trying to make every effort to accommodate emergency visa appointments and will honor upcoming scheduled regular appointments in limited visa categories. If you scheduled an upcoming appointment, please check your USTravelDocs account to determine whether your appointment is still valid.
The Consulates are not in a position as per their last memo posting, to reschedule appointments that were cancelled, and therefore individuals should try to attempt to schedule appointments for cancelled appointments through the website. If you need assistance or advice please contact an experienced immigration professional.