Hyderabad's US Consulate to process student visas starting Aug 17

Hyderabad: Citing that student visas are a high priority, the US Consulate in Hyderabad has announced that it will be processing the visa applications of students and academic exchange applications on August 17th. The processing will happen in a limited manner, keeping in mind the safety measures to prevent Covid-19 infection.

The Consulate has stated that it will initially process emergency student and exchange visitor appointment requests that have been registered before August 12th.

Public requirements will be offered post the date. The body also stated that aspiring students and exchange visitors should schedule an appointment only three weeks before the start of their classes.

"Prospective students and exchange visitors should schedule an appointment no more than three weeks prior to their class start date. We expect appointment slots to be filled quickly. Please continue to monitor our website for availability," a release from the Consulate read.

As a plea, the body has requested that students should be patient in registering for their visas, as priority will be given to those who start their classes earlier.

The release further stated, "Due to limited appointment availability, we will not be able to accommodate all requests in time for the start of the fall semester."

The service will also be available at the US Embassy in New Delhi, and the Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata.

The body further clarified that they will not be processing routine immigrant and non-immigrant visas. A date for the same will be informed soon.

Since all domestic and international flight services in India were shut on March 24th, only domestic flights have been permitted to start operations. A circular released on the declaration of Unlock 3.0 of the country wide lock-down, it was declared that international flights will not resume until August 31st.