Headlines
Student Visa Day attracts over 4,000 at US missions
Mumbai, May 28
Over 4,000 Indian students who
had applied for visas to pursue education in the United States were
interviewed at various US missions across India on the occasion of its
annual Student Visa Day, an official said here on Thursday.
The
US Embassy in New Delhi and consulates-general in Mumbai, Chennai,
Kolkata and Hyderabad opened their doors exclusively for the student
visa applicants on Thursday with a congratulatory message from US
Ambassador Richard R. Verma.
Around 1,300 visa hopeful youngsters
were interviewed in the US Consulate Mumbai even as US student visa
applications registered a 60 percent increase this year in India.
Last
year, around 103,000 Indian students secured admissions in US
institutions of higher education, making them the second largest group
of foreign students after China.
"Indian students are a great
asset to United States universities and colleges. Both countries benefit
greatly when our students study and learn together," Verma said in his
message.
The Student Visa Day was conducted in an informative,
festive, collegiate atmosphere, with consulate staffers dressed in their
school colours, with college songs and pop music played in the
background.
In Mumbai, representatives of partners, including the
United States-India Educational Foundation, the Indo-American Education
Society, the American Library, and recent US graduates, fielded student
queries on various aspects of student life in the US.
"It has
been an honour to meet India's future leaders today (Thursday) at
Student Visa Day. I am continually impressed by the caliber of Indian
students that I meet, and amazed by what they contribute to both India
and the world," Verma remarked after interacting with some student visa
applicants in the US Embassy in New Delhi.