Students welcome to study in US: envoy

Customs personnel should ensure that people making false claims do not gain entry

US Ambassador to India Richard Verma addressing media during his visit to participate in the signing of MoU with the State government on Smart City in Visakhapatnam on Friday. —Photo: C.V. Subrahmanyam

Last year alone close to 12 lakh students from India landed in the USA for admission into higher education courses there. None of them have faced any issue while entering the country, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma said. The few students who were turned around from the US faced problems due to the personnel doing their duty diligently.

The entry into the US is a two stage process, visa permits an individual to fly to the US and at the port of entry the Customs have to clear the person. It is the duty of the Customs personnel to check that the persons travelling into the US are coming solely for the purpose mentioned in the visa.

“My father entered the US on a study visa and I know how USA can change your life for the better,” Richard Verma told the media here on the sidelines of a dialogue between US delegation and the State government officials on partnerships on Friday.

The USA welcomes students to come and study there. The experience of the few students who were turned around is being looked into and steps would be taken to ensure such an experience does not recur, he said.

Focus on cooperation

With a focus on co-production in defence sector the US and India would be taking up manufacture of a number of products, including jet engine, fighter aircraft, the Ambassador said. The US President has announced that India would be allowed access to technologies as any ally, he pointed out.

A number of products have been taken off the restricted list. The US is working to make technology flow easily to India, he added.

Welcoming the decision to establish commercial courts, the Ambassador has said that there were some issues like contract sanctity which are to be resolved. India and US have resolved 100 of the 200 pending cases on taxes and the rest would also be resolved soon, which is an indication of the positivity in the bilateral relations.

The experience of the few students who were turned around is being looked into and steps will be taken to ensure such an experience does not recur

Richard Verma

US Ambassador to India