Regret deportation of Indian students on F1 visas: US ambassador Richard Verma

US Ambassador to India, Richard Verma

By Dileep Thekkethil

Four days after a San Francisco-bound Air India airline refused to accept 19 Indian students who had secured admission in two California universities that are allegedly under the scrutiny of the US government, the US embassy in Delhi said they are still collecting facts.

“The embassy is aware of reports that some students bound for two California schools were denied entry by Customs and Border Protection. We regret the impact this may have had on certain students and their families,” Verma said.

“We are following this situation closely and have been in regular communication with the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the government of India. Facts are still being collected,” Verma said in a statement.

The external affairs ministry of India had on Wednesday issued a recommendation to students traveling to the US saying that there have been several instances in the past few months where Indian students were denied entry by the US immigration authorities despite having valid visa documents to study in two educational institutions – Silicon Valley University at San Jose and Northwestern Polytechnic University, Fremont.

“Till such time the matter is satisfactorily resolved, the students seeking admission in aforementioned two institutions are advised to defer their travel to the United States,” the advisory read.