NEW DELHI: The United States Embassy is working on providing a limited number of additional student visa appointments by August end to help students who require them urgently in light of the new academic year commencing shortly.In a written response to an unstarred question posed jointly by multiple MPs in the Rajya Sabha on the plight of Indian students who have secured admission in the US as well as the steps taken by the External Affairs Ministry to ease the visa rules for all students from India in general, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said, “Issues being faced by Indian students in trying to obtain visa appointments at the US Embassy and Consulates in India have been taken up by the MEA with US authorities both in New Delhi as well as Washington DC.” “As a result, student visa appointments are now open, and the US Embassy is working to open a limited number of additional student visa appointments through the end of August in recognition of the urgent need for these appointments before the start of the new academic year,” he added.Indian Missions/Posts in the US maintain regular contacts with the Indian students enrolled in US universities, he said. “Our Embassy and Consulates have dedicated officers who closely track education or student welfare related matters.”The Minister also urged Indian students travelling abroad for higher studies to register on the MADAD Portal. “Their grievances are dealt with by Indian Missions/Posts on priority and are responded to almost on a real time basis through telephone calls, walk-ins, emails, social media, 24×7 emergency helplines, Open Houses, and the MADAD Portal,” he said.Students facing any kind of distress are provided all possible consular assistance, including emergency medical care and boarding/lodging, whenever required, Singh added.Additionally, the Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) has been set up in Indian Missions/Posts abroad for assisting overseas Indian nationals, including Indian students, in distress situations.While emphasising that visa-related policies and processes are the sovereign prerogative of the concerned country, the Minister said, “The Government of India remains engaged with the US government to promote mutually advantageous and secure frameworks that allow for streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals, and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel.”
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