Hyderabad becomes top global hub for US student visas

Visitor visas (B1/B2) experienced a resurgence, representing the second-highest number of applications in the U.S. Mission's history, surpassing 700,000.

Hyderabad: Hyderabad, alongside Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai, has emerged as a global hub for student visa processing, according to the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India.

In 2023, the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in India achieved a historic milestone by processing a staggering 1.4 million U.S. visas. Demand across all visa categories saw an unprecedented 60 per cent increase compared to 2022, positioning Indians as one out of every ten U.S. visa applicants globally.

---

Visitor visas (B1/B2) experienced a resurgence, representing the second-highest number of applications in the U.S. Mission’s history, surpassing 700,000.

In 2023, the U.S. consular team in India issued over 140,000 student visas, setting a record for the third consecutive year. Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the United States, constituting more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the country.

Consular Team India remains dedicated to prioritizing employment visas, consolidating petition-based processing in Chennai and Hyderabad, processing over 380,000 visas in 2023. In 2024, a pilot program is set to allow eligible H1B holders to renew their visas in the United States, streamlining the process for this group.