Washington, Nov. 29: American universities and colleges are being supported by their federal government in ramping up their competitive offer to students in India. The latest sign came last week when the US ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, announced that the US would open more consulates in India and expand its staff in order to increase capacity to handle Indian visa applications. A consulate has opened in Hyderabad and plans are in the works for Bengaluru and Ahmedabad as well.

Capacity is expanding at a very rapid rate. As reported in The Economic Times of India, Mr Garcetti said that “the number of US visas issued in India had grown by one-third, and the embassy is likely to issue 10 to 15 per cent more visas than usual this calendar year.”

The enthusiasm for Indian visitors, students, and workers is well illustrated in tweet by the US embassy in India.

In July and August 2023, the US issued 90,000 visas to Indian students, which as the Times points out, means that nearly one out of every four student visas issued in those months was issued to Indian students.-Agencies