Students must now use their passports for US visas

The US Embassy in India issued new student visa requirements on Friday to minimize appointment system fraud and misuse.

The policy change will take effect on November 27, 2023, in US consulates nationwide, including Hyderabad. “All F, M, and J student visa applicants must use their own passport information when creating a profile and scheduling their visa appointment,” the embassy said.

The new guidelines state that applicants who establish a profile or make an appointment with an erroneous passport number would be rejected at Visa Application Centres (VAC) and lose their appointments and visa fees.

However, applicants who created a profile or booked an appointment with an incorrect passport number can correct their mistake by creating a new profile with the correct passport information or accessing an existing profile with the correct passport information.

They will, however, demand payment of a new visa fee receipt if the previous receipt is associated to a profile with inaccurate passport information, the new regulation said. The embassy stated applicants who recently renewed their passports may keep their appointment if they provide a photocopy or other proof of their former passport number.