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32 Percent Rise in Student Visa Applications to USBy sachiv1, Section Education
Henry V Jardine, the US Consulate-General, said today that since last year India's student visa applications to the United States have grown by 32 per cent. And in the autumn of 2006, through a concerted effort, the consulate was able to eliminate the non-immigrant visa appointment backlog. While a Kolkatan would have to wait for 145 days to get a tourist visa appointment in 2006, that wait today has come down to two days, the maximum being 14 days. "The waiting time has been reduced but the number of checks remain the same, the main focus being on finger prints," said Jardine.
Jardine was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of an access ramp for the physically-challenged so that they have easy wheelchair accessibility to the consular area when going for visa applications. Jardine announced that in 2008 the consulate will be renovating and expanding the visa processing area and in 2009 it intends to add a fourth consular officer in Hyderabad. At present there are three in Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai. By 2011 the consulate expects to increase the number of its offices in Kolkata from three to six.
According to Paul Fermoile, US consular chief, last year there were 3,57,000 visa applications from India. From north-east India there were 25,300 visa applications of which 89 per cent visas were issued. "In another two years India should be overtaking China in terms of US visa applications," said Paul Fermoile.
Of the total visa applications, 49 per cent are business and tourist visas, 20 per cent are worker visas and 8 per cent are students visas. Expecting the visa applications from India to increase by 50 per cent next year, Jardine said, "The reason for the increase in the number of visa applications from India to the US are the availability of a large number of finishing schools in the US. The personal income of Indians have also risen and the young population is looking for education in the US." (Source-Indian Express,29/03/07)
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