US Embassy Invites Only Fresh F-1 Student Visa Applications in Summer’22

The US embassy in India, on Wednesday, announced that students who have been refused an F-1 Visa in the past would not be able to book the slot when the appointment applications open in the summer of 2022. 

“We want the summer season to be for fresh applicants. People who have never applied before, students who have just finished high school and want to go for graduate studies or students who have just graduated and want to go for masters. This summer, when we open for appointments, if you have been refused before, you will not get a slot,” said Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs at the US embassy, Donald L Heflin. 

The summer season for student visas would begin in June, and the first half of July informed Heflin during a 45-minute live chat on the website of the US consulate general in Delhi. 

Heflin hoped that it would be a recovery year for visa operations following the setback due to COVID-19, and said that eight lakh Indians are likely to receive US visas in the next 12 months. 

“Later in the summer, from August 15 to September 1, around 15,000 appointments will be available for people who have either been refused this summer or last year. I know a lot of people are freaking out about it, but we have been shut down for a long in view of the pandemic. We didn’t have a bunch of people who have been refused before applying again, we have got a lot of them now … hence the decision,” Heflin added. 

The F-1 Visa (Academic Student) allows applicants to enter the US as a full-time student at a recognized college, university, seminary, conservatory, academic high school, elementary school, or other academic institution or in a language training program. Aspirants must be enrolled in a degree/diploma/certificate program at an authorized institute to be eligible.