Hyderabad: About two lakh Indians studied in the United States last year, most of them being from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, according to US Consul General (Hyderabad) Joel Reifman.
One in four Telugu families had a US connection, mostly through higher education in America, Reifman who participated in the launch of the second EducationUSA centre in the city on Friday, said.
“Almost 2 lakh Indians studied in the US last year, and many of them came from this area. In fact, more students in the US come from this part of India, especially the two states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, than any other part of the country,” he said.
On the visa situation at the US Consulate, Reifman said last year had been challenging for everyone as international and domestic travel was hampered due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many people who had plans to study abroad had to adjust or delay those plans. Higher education institutions in the US have opened and closed in response to the severity of the Covid-19 threat. But the US visa policy has remained constant, he said, adding that the US continues to welcome all qualified Indian students to study in America.
“We prioritised student visa appointments and did our best to make sure students arrived at their campuses on time,” he said.
Strong demand for student visas
Public Affairs Officer with the US Consulate General (Hyderabad) David Moyer said nearly three-quarters of student visa applicants between September 2020 and March 2021 were issued visas.
“Since reopening, demand for available student visa appointments at the US Consulate General Hyderabad has been strong. A significant number of student visa applicants deferred travel from Fall 2020 to Spring 2021 due to the pandemic, so we believe that we will continue to see increase in Indian students applying for visas and traveling to the US to pursue higher education,” Moyer added.
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