US visa challenges: Gujarat students fly high but businessmen & visitors grounded

Students aiming to study in the US are finding visa appointments more accessible as compared to visitors and businessmen who are struggling, highlighting an interesting trend this year, as per visa experts.

Jayesh Patel received admission offers from five universities in the US. However, his dream of studying abroad appeared unattainable following three visa rejections since September 2022. This year, due to the timely availability of student visa appointments, his perseverance finally paid off. "I finally got my visa on the fourth attempt. I struggled for two years, determined to study in the US because of the flexible curriculum," Patel said.

In stark contrast, 46 students from a city institution have been stuck in a frustrating limbo. Since last November, they have paid close to Rs 8 lakh in visitor visa fees but are still awaiting appointments.


"This group was supposed to visit the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for a study tour. Despite everyone paying fees, it didn't reflect in the embassy's system, preventing us from securing visa appointments. Our attempts to get a refund or priority slots have been fruitless," said Smit Patel, the campus coordinator.

Maulin Joshi, a visa consultant from Ahmedabad, said, "The success rate for student visas is notably higher this year, leading to a surge in applicants."

On the other hand, applicants for business and visitor visas are experiencing a 17-month delay, with the earliest available appointments in December 2025, as reported by Virendra Shah, chairman of the Travel Agents' Association of India (Gujarat chapter).

Sachin Kadamb, a multinational corporation professional from Ahmedabad, requires travel to the US for work this November. "I also had to go to the US last year. I paid around Rs 13,000 in visa fees in March 2023 but couldn't get an appointment. I had to repay the fees this March as the previous application expired. My work is stalled due to the delay," he said.

Issues with the visa website have further exacerbated problems over the past fortnight. "Applicants, despite paying fees, cannot access the appointment selection page. This has stalled the visa application process for business, visitor and tourist visas," added Shah.

Manish Sharma, former chairman of the Travel Agents' Federation of India (Gujarat chapter), said visa appointment issues had halved the number of travellers from Gujarat to the US over the past two years. Industry estimates indicate about 2 lakh people travel to the US from Gujarat annually.

During his visit to Ahmedabad last May, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti assured us that student visa applications would be promptly processed with the opening of new slots. Visa consultants confirm a significant improvement.

"About 95% of students who applied through our consultancy have received their visas, thanks to the expedited process. Unlike previous years, students are securing visa appointments within 45 days of receiving their I-20," said Ritesh Desai, another visa consultant from Ahmedabad.

For instance, Himmatnagar resident Heli Shah, who aims to pursue a master's degree in engineering with computer science at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, secured her visa in May. "I had secured admission last year but couldn't go due to visa unavailability. I rescheduled my admission until I received the visa," Shah explained.
(With TOI inputs)