Posted on February 28 2023

Good News! International students can apply for US Student Visa, one year before their term starts

By
Anshul Singhal
, Editor

Updated November 04 2023

Highlights: Streamlined process for the US student visa

The US has made a few changes to ease the process of applying for study visas for the country.
Indian students can apply for a study visa a year before the start of their academic term.
It allows additional time for international students to apply for a study visa.
International students in the category of F and M are eligible for the changed rules.
In 2022, the US granted more than 1.2 lakh study visas to Indian students.

Abstract: The US has introduced some changes in applying for study visas to the country to ease the process.

With the new changes in the application process for US study visas, studying in the United States got easier. International students can now apply for the US Student visa a year before the start of their academic term.

The government of the US announced a breather that will benefit Indian students looking to study abroad in the US. According to the updates by US Student visa authorities, the student visas in the F and M categories can be issued 365 prior to the I-20 program date of commencement. It will provide more time for international students applying for student visas in the US.

*Wish to study in the USA? Y-Axis is here to offer you the required guidance.

Difference between US Student visa application process – Earlier and Now

The difference between the student visa application process before and now is explained in the table below:

Difference between the US Student visa application process then and now
In terms of	Earlier	Now
I-20 Form	Issued in 4-6 months before the term starts	Issued 12-14 months in advance
US student visa	Interviews could be scheduled only up to 120 days	Can apply for a visa 365 days in advance

The revision in the process of US student visa application will provide more time for candidates to apply for the student visa.

US opens more Visa slots in India for B1/B2 applicants

US to issue 100,000 visas per month to Indian applicants

What should you know about the US Student Visa?

International students in the US are required to submit the duly filled Form I-20, which is the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status to study in USA. It is required for:

F visa holders – For students pursuing academic programs
M visa holders – For students pursuing vocational studies

The international students are issued a Form I-20 by their DSO or designated school official after they have been accepted to an authorized US educational institution. The institution should be certified under the SEVP or Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

Form I-20 should be signed by the student as well as the DSO. The candidate must have Form 1-20 at all times while studying in the US. The commencement date of the study program of the candidate is mentioned on Form I-20.

It should be noted that even if the international student has been granted the visa for studies in the US, they can enter the US as a student only 30 days before the study program starts.

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How many US F-1 Student visas granted to Indians in 2022?

Detailed information about the number of F-1 student visas granted to Indian students is given in the table below:

US F-1 Student visas granted to Indians in 2022
Month	Number of Study Visa
January	2,991
February	1,685
March	1,476
April	2,368
May	7,050
June	32,374
July	29,855
August	14,769
September	613
October	499
November	9,931
December	16,914
Total	120,525