US Student Visa: Embassy Announces New Slots Of Interview

On 26 June, the US Embassy in India announced an important update for students.

The embassy said that the interview slots are now open for students having I-20, need to apply for visa categories M, F, and J at the Embassy and Consulates for interviews taking place after August 14.

The embassy tweet read as, “Student visa appointments are available on our website. If you have an I-20, don't wait! Future F, M, and J appointment openings at the Embassy and Consulates will be for interviews taking place after Aug 14, so if you need to arrive at school by mid-Aug, book an appointment now!”

The US had opened the first tranche of interview slots, for dates in June and the first half of July 2022 in May.

Due to pandemic, last year, the US Embassy in Delhi and the consulates in India had opened student visa interviews on June 14.

Many students who were planning to attend US universities and who had already received their student I-20 documents from US universities were waiting for their interviews.

Earlier on 24 June, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) held discussions with foreign countries including Canada, Australia, the Czech Republic, Germany, New Zealand, Poland, the UK and the USA to streamline the visa appointments for Indian students.

India raised the issue of students with foreign nations and asked them to speed up and bring clarity in the visa process, sources said.

Earlier in the month, US Charge d'Affaires Patricia Lacina had said that despite the challenges of the pandemic, the US Mission to India issued more student visas in 2021 than ever before.