Study in US: 80,000 Telugu students have gone since covid, says Andhra Pradesh body for NRIs

NEW DELHI: An estimated 80,000 students have gone to study in the US from Telugu states – Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, since covid, said Venkat S Medapati, president Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Society. This is a sharp increase over previous years, he said, and one reason why more than half the 21 Indian students deported from the US in August were from Andhra Pradesh (nine) and Telangana (three).

“The main problem with some of these students was discrepancy in their documentation and credentials. Since every day more than 1,000 visas are issued in India, US consulate authorities claim, many a time, checking every credential for authenticity is not possible before issuing a visa,” Medapati told Careers360, adding, “the students, in a hurry to go to the US, get their visa forms and applications worked on by the agencies without understanding how actually it has been done or if the facts are all right.” He also said that every admission season sees a few deportations. There had been seven or eight deportants in June and July as well, he said.

Andhra Pradesh chief minister, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, asked APNRTS to probe into the deportations; that report is expected soon. The CMO has also taken the issue up with the ministry of external affairs. The Andhra Pradesh government wants that students with genuine credentials and valid visas be taken back for the January intake; the September one is a write-off.

Venkat S Medapati, president, Andhra Pradesh Non-Residents Telugus Society(APNRTS), warms against relying on study abroad consultants

Study abroad consultants

Medapati said that the main reasons for deportant were that there were problems with the universities the students were set to join or discrepancies in their financial documents. From August 16 to 18, the students were deported immediately upon landing in the US by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) authorities. Some were detained for hours at the airport.

Among the 21 there were students who were set to join universities that had been blacklisted. For others, financial documents were not in order. There were times when the student had to wait at the US customs till banks opened in India for them to check if the student's financial statements were valid.

A student is required to have a minimum amount of cash in the bank account to qualify for a US visa. Some overseas education consultants would deposit that amount in the student’s account so they could show they had it and later, once the student reached their destination, withdraw it and deposit it in another student’s account.

Medapati blames the reliance on study-abroad consultants for their predicament.

Study Abroad: More students

The number of students visiting the US has increased sharply after the Covid -19 pandemic. From India, around two lakh Indian students were issued visas to study in the US. Of them, around 80000 were from Telugu states, Medapati said. “This time in August, the number is more and this is also a reason for the immigration officials to be extra cautious,” he said.

Medapati said that the students also make the mistake of checking on job opportunities in other countries and that is a red flag. Some also land in states other than the one in which their university is situated. “For example, if a student needs to join a university in California and they land in New York citing they will visit a relative before joining the university, it is a red flag,” he explained.

Andhra Pradesh: Vidya Vahini

In 2020, APNRTS had launched the Vidya Vahini initiative to educate students and parents about overseas education including visa regulations, finances, loans and courses. It had few users but the APNRTS is keen that students use it for authentic information.

“We want students to know what they are doing instead of visiting consultants and depending solely on them. That is the reason we have launched this initiative, we want the students to take full benefit of the initiative so that they know what they want to do and how to go about it,” Medapati said.

A free service, it includes course pathway counselling, language training, university selection, admission process, scholarship assistance, visa guidance, pre and post-departure services. Students can write to training@apnrts.com