AHMEDABAD: Kavisha (name changed), 22, has already secured admission in a masters’ course in engineering in a prestigious American university. All set to go, she’s facing a hurdle in securing her interview at the visa centre.
“Due to the pandemic, I had deferred the admission by a year. This year, it’s no online classes and campus presence is compulsory. The college would start from end of July, but I have still not got the slot for interview. It’s my long-cherished dream and I am praying that I would get the chance. I have also applied for the emergency quota,” she says.
She’s not alone in the quest – thousands of students from Gujarat aspiring to go to the US and Canada for further studies are facing hurdles in getting the appointments. The students and their parents are fervently contacting the authorities in India, the US, and Canada alike.
Sameer Yadav, a city-based student visa and immigration consultant, said that the US has opened slots for the interviews from June 14, thus the rush is natural. “However, it’s not advisable to try too many times – several of the students reported their accounts getting blocked for a few hours due to too many attempts. As the date of opening of the universities is very close, many students are worried that they might not make it before stipulated time,” he said.
Anuj Parikh, owner of an immigration firm in Ahmedabad, said that comparatively, the process for Canada is smoother. “Like other countries, Canada is also cautious. But they are also aware of the importance of the foreign students from countries like India. The intake for many Canadian universities is from September. Thus, the students are hopeful of meeting the deadline by August,” he said.
“There was no activity for long for the anxious students – we lost two months, and thus we are witnessing the sudden rush,” said Kavita Parikh, a visa consultant. “Majority of the students faced some technical error. We are hopeful of easing the rush in a few days.”
The experts also raised the issue of vaccination and coordination between various countries for the Covid protocols. An expert said on condition of anonymity that several students were given the shots of vaccine not recognized abroad. “Such steps could have been prevented with better coordination,” said the expert.

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