The External Affairs Ministry said it takes up issues related to genuine travellers, including students, whenever they face challenges.
India on Friday said it is engaging with US authorities to address concerns and minimise difficulties faced by Indian students and visitors following changes to American visa rules.
The External Affairs Ministry said it takes up issues related to genuine travellers, including students, whenever they face challenges.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said visa and immigration policies are sovereign matters of individual countries.
“We’ve seen some reports regarding the visa rules. Visa rules and visa functions and immigration matters are sovereign functions of any state,” he said at a media briefing.
Raised issues with US
However, Jaiswal added that India continues to raise concerns with the US side when Indian nationals require support.
“But having said that, let me tell you that as and when there are issues of difficulties, which are brought to our attention, in regard to genuine travellers [and] students, among others, who seek support from the US, we take up those issues with the US side so as to minimise the difficulties that our people face,” he said.
The comments came after the US Department of Homeland Security announced changes that introduce fixed stay periods for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists.
The new visa rules for foreign students, exchange visitors and journalists effectively ended a decades-old policy that allowed them to remain in the country indefinitely without government oversight.
The new regulations establish a fixed period of admission for nonimmigrant visa holders in F, J, and I classifications, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a statement on Thursday.
The F category visas are for students, the J category for exchange visitors, and the I category is for journalists.
