Washington:
As a much-needed relief for foreign students seeking to study in the US, the Biden administration has announced that they can now apply for a visa up to a year before their academic term begins.
However, the State Department said that international students are not allowed to enter the country on a student visa more than 30 days before the start of their program.
International students are normally issued two categories of U.S. visas: F and M. “Student visas (F and M) for new students can be issued up to 365 days before the start date of a course of study,” according to the State Department. .
“But you are not allowed to enter the United States with your student visa more than 30 days before the start date,” it says on Tuesday.
A student can enter the US before 30 days after the start of their program with a valid Visitor Visa (B).
A student visa is issued by US embassies and consulates based on the I-20 form issued by their academic institutions.
The State Department requires all students to be registered in the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS).
The spouse and minor children, if they plan to live with the student in the United States, must each receive an individual Form I-20 from the student’s academic institution, it said.
According to the State Department, foreign students in the United States on an F visa must leave the U.S. within 60 days of the program end date listed on Form I-20, including any authorized practical training.
The new announcement means universities can accept and issue I-20 forms 12-14 months before term.
Previously, visa interviews could only be scheduled up to 120 days, and I-20 forms 4-6 months before the term began.
The update comes after Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services, Julie Stufft, told PTI that the US is “putting every ounce of effort” into eliminating the long wait for visas in India.
India broke the record for the most student visas last year and could do so again this year, she said, adding that India is now number two in the world in the number of international students coming to the United States.
“We’re really, we’re focusing all our efforts now on this visa for visitors and those, in particular, if you don’t need an interview, you don’t have to wait long at all for a visa extension. And that’s also part of our strategy “, she said.
In India, there are growing concerns about the long waiting time for new visa applicants, especially those applying in B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) categories.
The waiting time for new B1/B2 visa applicants in India was almost three years in October last year.
India was one of the few countries where applications for US visas experienced a major uptick after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is being published from a syndicated feed.)
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