New Delhi: The government on Wednesday issued a new advisory to all Indians travelling to the US following the deportation of a number of Indian students for providing information “inconsistent with their visa status”.
“The US government has conveyed that the decision to deny entry to these (Indian) students is not because of the corresponding institutions being ‘black-listed’ but based on the assessment made by the US immigration authorities of individual applicants,” the external affairs ministry said in a statement. “According to the US government, the deported persons had presented information to the border patrol agent which was inconsistent with their visa status,” it added.
Earlier this month, 14 Indian students who had gone to join the Silicon Valley University at San Jose and Northwestern Polytechnic University at Fremont — both in California — were deported by the US authorities.
In a statement, national carrier Air India said it received a communication on December 19 from the Customs and Border Protection that the two universities were under scrutiny and the students who arrived in San Francisco were not allowed to enter the US and were deported back to India.
The Indian government said it has taken up this matter with the US government. The US authorities have been asked to explain the reasons for the denial of entry on a large-scale to Indian students holding valid visas, the government said.
However, according to Wednesday’s external affairs ministry statement, “there have been further cases of denial of entry to Indian students holding valid visas to pursue studies in other US educational institutions”.
“Some Indian nationals travelling on business/tourism/work visas have also been deported,” it stated.
According to the statement, India has remained closely engaged with the US government on the issue and has strongly emphasised the need for the US authorities to honour the visas issued by their own embassies and consulates.
“Meanwhile, it is reiterated that all Indian students seeking admission in US educational institutions should do due diligence to ensure that the institutions to which they are seeking admission have proper authorisation and capacities,” the external affairs ministry statement said. “Similarly, all Indian nationals traveling to the US on other visas are also advised to carry the necessary supporting documentations regarding place of stay, financial support, medical arrangements, sponsorship details etc.,” it added. (IANS)
