Hyderabad: The students from Hyderabad are in a dilemma as no visa slots are available at US consulates and the Embassy.
Though the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced the opening of visa slots soon, no appointments have been released so far.
Hyderabad students check US Consulate visa slots
As many students have completed the admission process for the next intake at US universities and colleges, they are awaiting visa slots.
They are worried whether they will miss the intake and have to try for the next intake.
One of the consultants speaking to Siasat.com also confirmed the same, stating that the students are eagerly waiting for the US visa slots at the consulates in Hyderabad and other cities.
Social media screening
Recently, the US Department of State announced that it will resume processing visa applications for foreign students with a condition requiring applicants to make their social media accounts public for government review.
“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. To facilitate this vetting, all applicants for F, M, and J nonimmigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to ‘public,’” read the statement issued by the US Department of State.
According to the State Department, it is committed to protecting America and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through the visa process, adding that a US visa is a “privilege, not a right.”
“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 US national security,” it stated.
The US State Department asserted that every visa adjudication is a national security decision.
“The United States must be vigilant during the visa-issuance process to ensure that those applying for admission into the United States do not intend to harm Americans and our national interests and that all applicants credibly establish their eligibility for the visa sought, including that they intend to engage in activities consistent with the terms for their admission,” the statement added.
