Outlining each visa adjudication as a "national security decision", the US has asked applicants to share their social media usernames or handles of each platform they have used in the last five years.
In the medium term, corporates and vendors could move away from visa dependency, shift more work offshore and share higher cost burdens with clients.
The application for visas to the United States is likely to increase by about 40-50 per cent in the coming five years, said Henry V Jardine, Consul General of the United States at the Bengal National Chamber Of Commerce and Industries in Kolkata.
India is yet to receive visa applications from Pakistan's special investigation team members who are supposed to visit the country to probe the Pathankot terror attack, Indian government sources said.
Alert: Student visa applications to the US
As of September 2025, the expected time of interview appointments for visitor visa (B-1/B-2) at New Delhi was 12 months, far more than the time at other US consulates in the capital cities of top economies of the world.
The United States would handle the visa application of the Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as per the country's immigration laws, a top US diplomat said.
The Delhi high court has recalled its order regarding The Wire editor Siddharth Varadarajan's OCI status, citing suppression of facts related to a prior court order.
"She was a brilliant student and had completed her MBBS in Kyrgyzstan between 2005 and 2010. Her academic record was excellent, and she had big dreams for her future," Lakshmi told PTI.
The visa application centres in New Delhi, Chandigarh and Jalandhar will supend applications on instruction from the UK Border Agency. Share your opinions on the move.
A 62-year-old Indian-origin man, now a US citizen, faces denaturalisation proceedings for allegedly defrauding investors of USD 2.5 million and concealing this from US authorities.
He was scheduled to travel to Chengdu to compete in the Australian Open Playoff event, which will give the regional players a main-draw entry into the 2026 Australian Open.
US Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, introduced the 'Ending Exploitative Imported Labour Exemptions Act or EXILE Act', a bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act by ending the H-1B visa programme.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies and public universities to suspend new H-1B visa petitions through May 2027, a move likely to affect Indian professionals. The order comes amid ongoing debate over skilled immigration and potential impacts on academic research and innovation.
The Trump administration's proposed H-1B wage structure aims to increase pay for skilled overseas workers in the US by an average of $14,000, with Level I wages potentially rising to $97,746. This move, coupled with a weighted selection process favouring higher-skilled workers, is intended to curb abuse of visa programmes and ensure parity with American workers, but has already led to a sharp decline in H-1B applications, particularly from Indian IT companies.
'We allot appointments throughout the day to maximise efficiency and ensure that officers have enough time to give every applicant a complete and fair interview. When people arrive at their appointment too early, it throws off the schedule and increases wait times for everyone. We ask that people to come no more than 30 minutes before their scheduled interview,' Consul General Cornelis M Keur stated in a release.
The ICC's decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026 has sparked another controversy and this time, it's affecting the media.
Scotland were included into the T20 World Cup following Bangladesh's withdrawal citing security concerns despite the ICC insisting that there were no threats as per their assessment.
The pause will begin on January 21 and will remain in effect indefinitely until the State Department completes a reassessment of visa processing, the report said.
IT stocks dropped in morning trade on Monday, with Tech Mahindra tumbling over 6 per cent, amid concerns over the steep hike in US H-1B visa fees. Shares of Tech Mahindra tumbled 6.45 per cent, LTI Mindtree slumped 5.61 per cent, Persistent Systems dropped 5.51 per cent, Hexaware Technologies tanked 5.14 per cent and HCL Tech fell by 4.24 per cent on the BSE.
The US Embassy has directed all international students aspiring to study in the United States to adjust privacy settings on their social media profiles to 'public' not just while applying for a visa but also during their entire course of study, effective immediately.
A Delhi Police constable has been arrested for his alleged involvement in a racket producing fake Police Clearance Certificates (PCCs). The investigation uncovered a network charging individuals for forged documents, highlighting concerns about corruption and security.
'Immigrants have always been America's greatest strength, building prosperity, breakthroughs, and communities that enrich us all. Instead of embracing that strength, Trump is clamping down on every form of immigration, tearing families apart, destabilising businesses, and weakening our economy'
Security has been strengthened at the Indian Assistant High Commission office and the visa application centre in Bangladesh's Sylhet city in the wake of heightened tensions following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, officials said on Saturday.
The US would start accepting petitions from Thursday for the H-1B visa applications, the most sought after work visa by Indian IT professionals, for the fiscal 2011 without any cutoff date as in the past.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has proposed several measures to develop a more conducive framework for the long-term growth of Prepaid Payment Instruments (PPIs), including enhanced transaction security and clearer rules on refunds and grievance redressal.
With Rashid and Ahmed currently unavailable, Liam Dawson is the squad's only specialist spinner, meaning Will Jacks and Jacob Bethell may be required to bowl more than initially planned.
The White House mentioned that American companies are replacing US workers with H-1B workers.
The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP) has denied the accuracy of reports circulated by local and international media outlets and websites regarding the United Arab Emirates granting lifetime golden visas to certain nationalities.
Australia's new student visa rules focuses on stricter eligibility, higher financial and English language requirements among others.
A special court in Mumbai has directed the police to issue a no objection certificate for alleged gangster Kumar Pillai's return to Hong Kong, his home country, after his extradition to India. The court rejected the prosecution's argument that he should be returned to Singapore, from where he was extradited.
If the Indian government is indeed serious about reversing brain drain, it needs to put much more emphasis on research and innovation, especially in areas that will determine the future, asserts Prosenjit Datta.
This is the first time that the cap is reached on the first day of receiving the applications on April 2.
It is alleged that they came to India on a visa and then entered Mizoram, which is a protected area. Thereafter, they entered Myanmar and contacted ethnic war groups.
Nagal should apply for visa with required materials: Chinese Foreign Ministry
India has resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese nationals through its missions and consulates worldwide, marking a step towards rebuilding ties after the resolution of the eastern Ladakh military stand-off.
To 'protect national interest', US now require all F, M, and Jvisa applicants (students/exchange visitors) to make socialmedia profiles public for nationalsecurity vetting.
Last minute T20 World Cup entrants Scotland have included Afghan-born uncapped pacer Zainullah Ihsan in their 15-member squad for the ICC event beginning in India and Sri Lanka on February 7.
The outreach comes amid a drop in Indian student enrolments in management programmes at American universities last year, following changes to US student visa policies.
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