More Indian students to get US visas

The number of Indian students going to US has increased over the last 10 yrs, though there was a dip after 9/11.

More Indian students will be given visas to the United States in 2006 as compared to 2005, a US Embassy official has said.

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"There has been an increase in student visa applications this year, and we hope to surpass last year's total of 18,000 student visa applicants processed," said Sally Ironfield, non-immigrant visa chief at the US Embassy in New Delhi.

"There are currently 80,000 Indian students studying in the US. There are a lot of Masters and Doctoral candidates applying for visas, and this year we are having a sharp increase in applicants wishing to pursue undergraduate studies," she said via the Internet on Tuesday.

"There is no mandated limit for issuance of student visas. Possibilities are limitless. Sponsoring schools register with the Departments of State and are then authorised to issue I-20s for international students.

"The number of Indian students going to the US has steadily increased over the last 10 years, although there was a small dip in applications following the 9/11 attacks."

Prior to the boom in the technology industry in India, many graduates remained in the US after their studies, adjusting their visa status to H1-B, but now an increasing number of students are returning to India to join hi-tech firms or establish their own companies, she said.

Asked about the chances of non-rich Indian students obtaining a visa, she said that the student's financial status was no bar to eligibility if a deserving student could show that there were sufficient funds to pay for his studies.