Student visas issued by the United States Consulates in India have increased by 122% in the last three years shattering the perception that lesser students were going to the U.S. or visas were being rejected by the Consulates.
During the same period, H-1B visas issued have increased by 31%.
The Hyderabad Consulate has seen an increase of 48% in non-immigrant visa issuances in the last three years while the same was 22% across India.
Last year, 48,148 student visas were issued in India as against 33,347 in 2015 and 21,636 in 2014. Similarly, the H-1B visa figures stood at 80,037 in 2016 while 75,104 were issued in 2015 and 60,761 in 2014. In the non-immigrant visas in 2016, Hyderabad’s share was 1,69,071 while the national figure was 8,64,987.
These figures were revealed by Donald Mulligan, Chief of Consular Section, and Brian Salverson, Chief of Non-immigrant Visas, at Hyderabad Consulate during Student Visa Day celebrated on Thursday. The day is celebrated across all the Consulates in India to mark the education ties between India and the United States.
Mr. Mulligan said certain protocols were in place for issuing student visas though the consular officer has the authority to reject or issue a visa based on his or her assessment of a student. Certain factors they consider include national security, quality of candidates and their eligibility to study or support finances for it. The quality of the interview matters a lot and credible answers contribute to its success.
When asked why students with brilliant academic record get rejected while some mediocre students get through, Mr. Salverson observed that students get rejected when they give scripted answers while the officers go by their instinct as well while judging the genuineness of a candidate.
Tell your story and not your friend’s was the observation Mr. Salverson made revealing how the officers judge the applicants.
Generally, most students come with scripted answers and that doesn’t impress the visa officers. “You need to convince us why the family is investing so much on your education.”
The three key factors that determine the approval or rejection are: Is the student prepared for the course that he or she has chosen; whether the student can afford the course and has planned accordingly; the intention of the student in seeking education in the U.S.
