U.S. Mission meets skyrocketing student visa demand

On June 13 Consular Team India interviewed 3,900

student visa applicants during its 8 th annual Student Visa

Day.

Mission India highlights our strong commitment to

higher education in the United States and the growing

educational ties between the United States and India by

organizing robust programming for Student Visa Day,

where Mission members and EducationUSA colleagues

interact with applicants to share information on studying

in the United States. 

Ambassador Eric Garcetti shared his best wishes for all

Indian students, stating, “Every international student on

a U.S. campus represents tremendous accomplishment -

years of study and hard work that went into preparing

for academic excellence.

Like those who went before, today's Indian students also

represent tremendous potential - the knowledge you will

unlock, the new skills and opportunities you will

experience, and the relationships you will build are worth

the investment.  Each student is an ambassador for

India.  Together we are taking the U.S.-India relationship

forward.”

Minister-Counselor for Consular Affairs Russel Brown

acknowledged the occasion stating, “This year, as Indian

students are poised to become the largest group of

international students in the US, the Department of State

and our EducationUSA colleagues are excited to welcome

student visa applicants on Student Visa Day and

throughout the student season.”

The number of Indians who choose to study in the United

States has increased significantly in the past three years. 

In 2023, the U.S. Mission to India issued more student

visas than in 2018, 2019, and 2020 combined

This unprecedented growth reflects the ongoing

commitment by the U.S. Government to prioritize

students and to facilitate their travel, even as the Mission

met a 400 percent rise in demand for all other visas

between 2021 and 2023. 

The U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India anticipate

continued increase in student visa applicants from India

and have expanded the student visa season for 2024 to

meet this growing demand.

The US remains the number one higher education

destination for Indian students, with studies showing 69

percent of Indian students prefer a U.S. education to any

other destination

Indian students, already the largest group of

international graduate students in the United States, go

on to gain valuable real-world experience, receiving

employment-based U.S. visas or becoming leaders in

their fields here in India – reflecting the lifelong benefit

of a U.S. education.