US student visa rush: Embassy says resolving technical issues; will give thousands of appointments in coming weeks

NEW DELHI: The US embassy on Tuesday sought to allay apprehensions of thousands of Indian students who have to join colleges there this fall (July and August) but faced a tough time in booking appointments slots when visa processing resumed on Monday.
The Embassy has begun fixing technical issues faced by students and has assured that “thousands” of appointment slots will be made available.
“Since June 14, thousands of students have secured visa appointments for July and August. Thousands of appointments remain available and we will open thousands more in coming weeks. We appreciate your patience as we diligently work to resolve the technical issues you have encountered,” the US Embassy tweeted on Tuesday.

The huge backlog of visa applicants who have to join US colleges this fall is leading to glitches on the US embassy portal as it resumed processing student visas in India from Monday.
“We are aware of the high demand for student visa appointments. Please remember, do not refresh too often, as you may be locked out of your account. Appointments remain available at all posts, and we will continue to add appointments as conditions allow,” the US Embassy had said.

Scores of students are facing issues in getting a visa appointment. “My account got locked without even a prior warning. Many others are facing this issue too. Request you to unlock the accounts, at least this time,” said one of the replies to the US embassy’s tweet.
Another student said: “Please advice, my account has been locked for 72 hours for refreshing, is there a way to unlock it. There was no suspicious activity behind it. I was simply trying to connect back to the servers and complete my booking.”
In response to the US Embassy's tweet, a parent wrote: “We have taken leave just to book a slot (on Monday) and then either the site is not responding or its locking us out. Kindly lift the 72 hour ban as many of us have already wasted a year and this is our last hope. Try to understand the emotions of students and lift the ban.”
Last week, the US Embassy had announced it will resume students visa processing from Monday.
“Student visas remain a top priority for the US Mission to India and we are making every attempt to facilitate student travel in time for the fall semester. As such, on June 14, 2021 we will open limited July and August student visa appointments at posts across India,” a statement on the embassy website said last week. But the huge rush and backlog led to a scramble among students and caused technical glitches.