Source: Inside Higher Ed
The State Department is continuing to prioritize applications for student visas, but department officials do not expect to return to full capacity quickly.
Kathryn Strong, a visa policy analyst for the department, provided this information to international educators gathered virtually for the NAFSA: Association of International Educators annual meeting Thursday.
Higher education leaders have been worried for months about whether pandemic-related disruptions to visa processing will prevent some prospective students from getting their visas in time for the fall semester. The continuing uncertainty about fall international enrollments comes against the backdrop of an estimated 16 percent decline in total international students, and a 43 percent decline in new international students, enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities last fall.
Visa services remain curtailed at many consulates: as of May 12, the department reported that 160 of the 223 posts that process nonimmigrant visas -- a category that encompasses student and scholar visas -- are offering some routine visa appointments. The remaining 63 posts remained closed for all but emergency and “mission critical” services.
To read the full article, click here