US to start student visa application process from mid-May
Darpan News Desk IANS, 02 May, 2023 03:47 PM
New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The US will begin processing student visa applications for the Fall Session with the first batch of appointments available from mid-May.
"Attention students! In mid-May, the US Mission to India will open the first batch of appointments for the upcoming student visa season," the US Consulate General in Hyderabad announced via a tweet.
"Additional appointments will be released later in the season. Prepare for your appointments and stay tuned for more student visa related announcements," it said.
The US consulates processed nearly 1.25 lakh visa applications of students in India last year.
The country intends to increase visa interview appointments for Indian students by 30 per cent this summer.
In a much needed breather for students, the State Department announced in February that the 'F' and 'M' categories of student visas can now be issued up to a year in advance.
Previously, international students could apply only 120 days before the start of their study program.
Now they can submit their application 365 days in advance.
The development comes with the State Department announcing a hike in the fees of student visas.
Beginning May 30, the fees for non-petition based NIVs such as student and exchange visitor visas, will increase from $160 to $185 (Rs 15,140 for Indians).
Judge Nancy E. Brasel handed down the sentence to Neeraj Chopra, 41, in a federal court in Minneapolis, acting prosecutor Charles J. Kovats said on Friday. He was found guilty in July of the incident in April 2019 but sentenced only this month.
Satpreet Singh, Director of Ranjit Nagara Foundation, revealed that as per US rules, their foundation has to provide documentation of their expenditure to Internal Revenue Service, Department of Justice, annually which is further updated on the department's site for public or on before May 15, but the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) office has not provided the requisite documents till date.
Amid heightened activities by Khalistanis, the UK Sikh community has started to push back against anti-India forces. At the heart of this push back is Southall in London, which remains among the largest hubs of the Sikh community in the UK and has a distinction of hosting UK's largest and most prominent gurdwaras.
Amid an ongoing resurgence across the world, the global coronavirus caseload has topped 333.5 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 5.55 million and vaccinations to over 9.68 billion, according to Johns Hopkins University.
The embassy officials are also in touch with the immediate family members of the deceased Indians. The embassy, however, has not revealed their identity. Among the six injured in the blast on Monday, two are Indian nationals, who were treated at an Abu Dhabi hospital and later discharged.
The massive shockwaves due to the eruption of Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha'apai in Tonga were also felt across India, meteorologists said on Monday. In fact, almost 12 hours after that, i.e., on Sunday morning, an amateur weather enthusiast from Goa, Atul Naik, posted on Twitter another graph that showed the second peak too.
