The United States of America (USA) will provide preference to student visas as the country estimate a heavy rush in the authorisation application with the relaxation of travel restraints for vaccinated passengers, a diplomat of the country announced here on Wednesday.
The US government has already declared the lifting of the strict travel constraints on China, India and much of Europe active from November 8. The US travel limitations were first inflicted in early 2020 to check the spread of COVID-19.
“The appointments for visa will be made available from November 1. Priority will be given to student visas,” US Consul General to Kolkata, Melinda Pavek, said on the sidelines of an interactive session with the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) here.
The US has already assigned 62,000 Indian student visas in 2021, she said. With the US presidential promulgation coming to an end on November 8, applications for all types of visas will become qualified.
The accounting period for a US visa for various purposes like work, business and studies are between September of a year to August the following year, officials said. A diplomat official noted except for a brief period, student and emergency visas were not closed. From November 8, all types of visas will be given, and a heavy wave of visa applications is expected.
Patton International senior official Preeyam Bhudhia said Indo-US trade would expand by raising the travel limitations. Bilateral trade between the two countries had already improved by 50 per cent till August and is expected to reach the pre-COVID level of 2019 in the current year, ICC officials said.
