We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to U.S. national security. Under new guidance, we will conduct a comprehensive and thorough vetting, including online presence, of all student and exchange visitor applicants in the F, M, and J nonimmigrant classifications.

Department of State, USA, (June 18,2025)

Education Desk Mumbai

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has received several representations from Indian students and their families, flagging difficulty in obtaining US student visa appointments after American authorities announced an expanded screening and vetting for visa applicants, the government said on Thursday, July 24, 2025.

In a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said the MEA took up the matter with the US embassy in New Delhi as well as the US Department of State. The ministry was asked whether the government is aware of US student visa issues being faced by prospective Indian students.

The US is one of the most favoured destinations of Indian students for higher education. As of January 2025, there are about 300,000 Indian students, mostly in graduate (Masters) programs in STEM fields. As per the US State Department’s website, Indian students in the US contribute about $8 billion annually to the US economy. Despite this irrefutable fact, potential students and their parents experience “colossal waves of anxiety” today.

Education partnership is an important pillar of India-US ties with strong linkages and history of higher education collaborations. Under the Fulbright-Nehru bi-national Program, both countries support Fulbright-Nehru scholarships and grants to US and Indian scholars, professionals, and students.

“On 18 June 2025, the US Department of State (DOS) issued a press release titled 'Announcement of Expanded Screening and Vetting for Visa Applicants.' In the said press release, DOS stated that it uses all available information in its visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security,” the minister said. 

To facilitate the vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas would be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on their social media profiles to "public," according to the guidelines.

"Following these developments, the Ministry of External Affairs has received several representations from Indian students and their families flagging difficulty in obtaining student visa appointments. The ministry took up the matter with the US Embassy in New Delhi as well as the US Department of State," Singh said.

While the issuance of a visa is a sovereign prerogative of the state concerned, the MEA has "consistently raised" with the US embassy in New Delhi as well as the US State Department in Washington, DC the issues being faced by prospective Indian students in obtaining US visas, he added.

“The Government of India remains engaged with the US Government to promote mutually advantageous and secure mobility frameworks that allow for streamlining avenues for legal mobility of students and professionals and facilitating short-term tourist and business travel," Singh said.

In a written response to a separate query, the MoS said the Indian government remains engaged with authorities in the United States on "addressing illegal immigration and human trafficking by taking strong action against the bad actors, criminal facilitators, and illegal immigration networks." In a separate query, the MEA was asked whether the government has taken cognisance of the illegal immigration rackets operating in the country that fraudulently send Indians abroad, causing loss of money and national reputation.

— With inputs from PTI