US sends back AP, Telangana students over fraud visa claims, places 5-year ban on them

Andhra/Telangana: Many Indian students were deported by the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) force, a federal law enforcement agency, from American airports on landing. The majority of those students who planned to pursue higher education in the US are from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana but were sent back due to concerns over ‘fake’ visa documents.

Although officials did not provide the exact number, reports suggest that many Indian students were deported after immigration officers conducted document checks and briefly detained them. These incidents were reported in the airports of Atlanta, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Most of the students who were deported have their admissions from the University of Missouri and South Dakota. They were subsequently banned from entering the United States for five years. They might pursue their Masters' education in other countries such as Canada, England, and Australia.

Every year, approximately 1 lakh students from India, with about 50 per cent from the Telugu states, go to the US to pursue higher education.

Why were the students sent back?

Speaking to NewsMeter, Vishweshwar Reddy Kalavala, founder-chairman of Global Telangana Association, Washington DC, said, “The majority of students who have been deported are from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They were found to have presented fraudulent documents claiming to have sufficient funds for their education in US-based colleges.”

Any student who is moving to the US to pursue higher education has to pay around 30,000 dollars, and they should show a bank balance worth Rs 25 lakh (approximately). However, in many cases, students are creating fake documents or go through dubious education consultancies to get admission to colleges.

“Students from other countries are required to show a certain amount of money in their bank accounts before coming to the US. Instead, they come to the US without that money and then start working part-time. They use their earnings from their part-time jobs to pay for their education. This is not allowed under US laws but this has been the situation for many years. However, the cases have risen now and the authorities are keeping an eye,” said Vishweshwar.

Influence from other students

According to Vishweshwar Reddy, many students who plan for their higher education in the US, get influenced by students who are already pursuing their education there. They are encouraged by their seniors to manage college fees through part-time jobs.

What are the students saying?

According to the students, they were sent back without any reason. On their part, the students claim that all their documents were complete, and they were going to the US after getting admission to their respective colleges.

The students claimed that the authorities at the airport checked their mobile phones, WhatsApp chats, laptops and social media accounts. They said they were asked to leave quietly otherwise serious legal action would be taken against them.

“Students were asked questions related to their studies, visa interviews, loan, and the consultants from whom they had taken help for admission. They were kept on hold and sent back on a flight to Delhi,” said an attorney of an immigration law firm.

Sources said, when the authorities checked their mobile phones, Google searches on their phone revealed that the students had looked into queries related to immigration clearance, and ways to get part-time jobs in the US.

AP CM Jagan writes to external ministry

In the wake of some students from Andhra Pradesh being deported from the US, Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has decided to take up the issue with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).

“Reddy is looking into this matter and will address it to the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, for resolving this at the earliest as all students have a valid USA visa for higher studies and also keeping in view of the careers of these AP students,” said an official of the state-government body Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society (APNRTS) in a statement.

Through an advisory, the state government asked the students to be prepared to answer any question from the US officials and carry all proofs of financials and other relevant documents. It also asked the student to understand non-immigrant visa laws and gain extensive knowledge about the varsity and the course they are planning to join.

Calling the deported students to reach out, APNRTS, which also functions as a specialised body for overseas education admission and counselling process shared its helpline numbers. The helpline numbers are +91 863 2340678 and +91 85000 27678, and email addresses, mailto:info@apnrts.com info@apnrts.com and mailto:helpline@apnrts.com helpline@apnrts.com

APNRTS also cautioned students to be wary of misleading private education consultancies.