As of January this year, 1,945,556 Indian students were enrolled in various American institutions.
Washington:
Indian Embassy says new visa regulations requiring international students in the United States with F-1 visas to take at least one course in person or facing the prospect of deportation “would cause uncertainty and difficulties “for some students. .
“These new changes, at a time when many universities and American universities have not yet announced their plans for the new academic year, may create uncertainty and difficulties for some Indian students who wish to continue their studies in the United States “said a spokesperson. from the Embassy of India.
Responding to questions from the media, the spokesperson said the Indian government had raised the issue with concerned US officials.
During the Indo-American Foreign Affairs Consultations held on July 7, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla expressed India’s concerns on the matter to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale.
According to a recent report from the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), in January of this year, 1,945,556 Indian students were enrolled in various academic institutions in the United States. Of these, 1,26132 were men and 68,405 were women.
Noting that the partnership in higher education is a key element in the close ties between India and the United States, the spokesperson said over the past two decades that Indian students in American universities and colleges have were the harbingers of a solid partnership between technology and the innovation sectors between the two countries.
The spokesperson hoped that the US authorities would offer adequate flexibility in their visa rule, keeping in mind the extraordinary circumstances created by the COVID-19 pandemic for the Indian student community.
“We continue to involve all stakeholders in the issues, including US administration officials, congressional leaders, universities and colleges as well as the Indian student community in the United States as we progress towards “2020-2021 academic year to further strengthen our bilateral relations. partnership in higher education,” said the spokesperson.
Announced by SEVP on July 6, the new rules provide temporary exemptions for non-immigrant students holding an F-1 and M-1 visa following online courses due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the semester of fall of the 2020 academic year.
“While these changes provide flexibility for US universities and colleges to adopt a hybrid model – which is a mix of online and in-person courses – they also prevent international students with F-1 and M-1 visas from take courses entirely online, “said the spokesperson.
