Former Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra was on Friday appointed as India's ambassador to the United States. "He is expected to take up the assignment shortly," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. The post of India's envoy to the US has been lying vacant since Taranjit Sandhu retired in January. Kwatra served as the foreign secretary from May 1, 2022, to July 14, 2024. Kwatra joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1988 and served in India's Permanent Mission in Geneva in the initial years of his service. Between 1993 and 2003, he served as a desk officer at the external affairs ministry's headquarters in Delhi dealing with the United Nations, and subsequently in the diplomatic missions in South Africa and Uzbekistan. From 2003 to 2006, he served as the counsellor and later as the deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Beijing. From 2006 to 2010, he represented India at the SAARC Secretariat in Nepal as head of the trade, economy and finance bureau. From May 2010 ti
A prominent Indian diaspora body has urged various agencies of the US government, universities and student associations to work towards addressing the spike in the deaths of Indian-origin students in the US in recent months. An analysis of the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) found the causes of these incidents range from suspicious shootings/kidnapping, environmental deaths due to lack of safety knowledge (monoxide poisoning, hypothermia), mental issues triggering suicides, and even suspicious accidents to violent crimes. The FIIDS said authorities should enhance safety education, improve search and rescue procedures, implement stricter rules against fraternity ragging; increase awareness of risks and safety, and provide mental health support. Since the beginning of 2024, there have been at least half a dozen deaths of Indian and Indian-origin students in the US. A 25-year-old Indian student who had been missing since last month was found dead in the US cit
Bill introduced to bar foreign students from staying after studies
A group of US lawmakers has reintroduced a legislation in the House of Representatives to eliminate a programme which allows foreign students to stay in the country for work
Announcement is a relief to international students, including those from India, and it comes after leading US universities sued the government.
Consider that colleges and universities, which are the largest employers in 1 out of 5 states, are already reeling from heavy financial losses associated with the pandemic
Spokesperson of MEA Anurag Srivastava said Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla raised the issue with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale during an online meeting
Foreign students contributed $44.7 billion to the US economy during 2018, the IIE report says
State Department clarifies visa rule announced by Homeland Security department, says 'international Students are welcome'.
Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne expresses his concern that the decision will create more uncertainty and complexity for international students
India accounts for the second largest number of foreign students in the US after China. There are more than 200,000 Indian students in the US.
The US said that non-immigrant visa holders, who are facing challenges due to Covid-19, might be provided special consideration or expedited processing on a case-by-case basis
The foreign students were arrested last week by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for enrolling at the University of Farmington allegedly to remain in America
Experts cited an uncertain social and political climate in the United States as part of the reason for the decline in enrollment