'What we want students to understand when they're applying for that visa is that we want to see a use of that visa that is in line with their application.'
Do not sound as if you intend to permanently settle overseas, warns Ritika Gupta, CEO and counsellor at AAera Consultants.
A Gurugram CEO is alleging that his US visa application was unfairly rejected due to perceived 'weak ties to India,' sparking debate over US visa evaluation processes and criteria for Indian professionals.
India on Thursday said it expects the United States to consider visa applications of Indian students on merit amid growing concerns over the Trump administration halting new student visa interviews.
The United States Embassy in India on Monday said starting December 15, the United States has 'expanded' online presence reviews to all H-1B and H-4 applicants as part of standard visa screening, and this vetting is being conducted globally for 'all applicants of all nationalities' for these two visa categories.
The ICC, which is overseeing the coordination process, has remained in constant communication with Indian High Commissions in multiple cities across continents.
India has raised concerns with the United States regarding the cancellation of scheduled H1B visa interviews for Indian applicants due to enhanced vetting measures. Both countries are engaged in discussions to address the disruptions caused by the delays.
The US has postponed thousands of H-1B visa interviews in India, citing enhanced vetting measures including scrutiny of social media profiles. The delays are impacting applicants who were scheduled for interviews from December 15 onwards, with new dates being pushed back by several months.
USA's pacer Ali Khan made a big disclosure on social media that he has been denied a visa by India to participate in next month's T20 World Cup.
VFS Global expects visa applications from India to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2024 with the easing of appointment availability. Vishal Jairath, head-South Asia, VFS Global, said during a media interaction that based on indications from the client governments in terms of appointment availability and the resources deployed by them, visa applications would surpass the pre-Covid levels by a healthy margin. "We have geared up. We have looked at our infrastructure and increased capacity in many locations," he added.
India has suspended visa operations at its application center in Chittagong, Bangladesh, following heightened tensions and protests after the death of a student leader.
Bangladesh has suspended visa services in its high commission in New Delhi and its mission in Tripura following protests. The decision comes amid rising tensions and unrest in Bangladesh, with some protesters targeting India.
The US has replaced random H-1B selection with a wage-weighted lottery and a new $100,000 fee for applications, raising uncertainty for students and junior hires.
The US has expanded its review of social media and online presence to cover all H-1B speciality occupation workers and their H-4 dependents, the US embassy in India said on December 10.
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.
Divya Nair/Rediff spoke to international career counsellors to understand what you can do if your visa is delayed or denied when you have received a scholarship.
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.
Australia increased its student visa application fee from 1,600 to 2,000 Australian dollars. This is now the highest such visa fee in the world.
"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 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.
In the medium term, corporates and vendors could move away from visa dependency, shift more work offshore and share higher cost burdens with clients.
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.
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.
The British High Commission has announced this service for Indians travelling to the United Kingdom.
The number of visa applicants to US has gone down significantly due to global recession, a senior American consular affairs official said.
Sanjay Dutt was denied a visa to fly to the Bahamas for a film shooting since he had failed to submit documents relating to his conviction in the 1993 serial blasts along with his application.
Outlining each visa adjudication as a 'national security decision', the United States has asked applicants to share their social media usernames or handles of each platform they have used in the last five years.
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.
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.
Brown, a former governor of California and a good friend of the Indian community, termed it as shocking and unacceptable.
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.
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 Consulate officials on Tuesday announced that a new online visa application process would be launched from February 1, wherein non-immigrant visa applications will be submitted using an electronic form.
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.
Pakistan has not received a visa application from controversial businessman Mansoor Ijaz, the main accuser in the memo scandal, in Switzerland or any other country, foreign office spokesman Abdul Basit said on Thursday.
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.
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.
Nagal should apply for visa with required materials: Chinese Foreign Ministry
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