Kofi Owusu from time to time waits outside the US embassy in Accra to ask fellow students what they have done to procure a timely visa appointment.

For a first-time, US student visa is still nine months away while classes for his master’s program at Villanova University in Pennsylvania are scheduled to start from Monday. It can be seen that this is the second time the political science student from Ghana will not be able to make it to the United States in time for school.

“I think they should just open up the system,” Owusu said, adding “they are operating on a rather limited schedule so I think they can broaden it and give students priority.”

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As the US embassies and consulates operate at reduced capacity around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, visa processing has been delayed, leaving some students abroad unable to make it for the start of the academic year.

The enrollment for the new international student in the United States dropped 43 per cent in fall 2020 from the year prior, months after COVID-19 sent the world into lockdown. According to an enrollment survey by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the number of new students who actually made it onto campus in person declined by 72 per cent.

Educational advocacy groups are calling for interview waivers and video interviews for students and scholars in lieu of the required in-person interview to obtain an F or M student visa.

“Racheal Banks, a senior director at NAFSA: Association of International Educators said, “Many US consulates overseas are still not operating at full capacity.”

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Meanwhile, the US State Department spokesperson encouraged students to apply for early visas. The department prioritizes interview appointments for students and expedites appointments on a case-by-case basis.

“We are committed to supporting the US academic community and US economy through efficient visa processing, while safeguarding border security,” the spokesperson said.

The State and Homeland Security departments last year expanded the ability of consular officers to waive in-person interviews to address visa processing slowed by the coronavirus pandemic. Students who are renewing their visas within a year of their prior visa’s expiration are eligible for an interview waiver through December 2021.

Prior to COVID-19, the US visa process was considered one of the top three reasons for declining international student enrollment in 2017-19, along with the social and political environment and competition from other countries’ universities.

Assistant vice provost and director of the International Services Office at the University of Rochester Ravi Shankar said, “We live in danger of losing talent.” He also said that Western countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom are the top competitors for international students.

According to reports, colleges and universities received as many as 13 per cent more applications for fall 2021 from international students compared to the year prior. Most of the top “sending” countries showed increases, with the notable exception of China.