NEWSROOM

The USA, which has universities that are on the list of the top 10 universities in the world with 7 educational institutions, also attracts great attention in the field of educational tourism. Just like their peers in the world, Turkish students primarily prefer America, which is known as the land of opportunities, in order to receive an education. Although the demand has decreased during the pandemic, there has been a 4% increase in the number of students this year. In order to avoid the bureaucratic obstacles that have increased recently, Turkish students receive counselling while preparing their files and rehearse interviews with people who have served as visa officers.

Students from many countries of the world prefer universities in the United States (USA) for quality education. According to Open Doors data, 20 years ago, the number of foreign undergraduate students studying in the USA was 260,848, and the number of graduate students was 244,398. Over the past 20 years, this number has nearly doubled. In the 2021/2022 academic year, the number of foreign students studying in the USA is 344,532 in undergraduate education and 385,097 in graduate education. Adding 184,759 optional applied education and 34,131 non-undergraduate students, the number of foreign students studying in the US is approaching 1 million.

Chicago-based consultancy company One Key Visa General Manager Ashkan Kheirkahvash, stating that the popularity of US universities among Turkish students is quite high, draws attention to the fact that there have been problems with visa issues recently. Explaining that the reasons such as quality education, high social life opportunities and satisfactory post-graduate job opportunities are effective in this preference of Turkish students, Ashkan Kheirkahvash said, “According to the data compiled by the International Education Institute (IEE), Turkish students who continue their education life in the USA in 2021. The number of students was 8,109. With the disappearance of the effects of the pandemic from our lives, this number increased by approximately 4% in the 2022-2023 period. It is estimated that this acceleration will accelerate in the coming years.”

Getting a US visa has become harder

The negative news in the press recently and the posts of people applying for a visa to the USA on their social media that "my application was denied" worry Turkish students who dream of studying abroad. The possibility of visa refusal after a lengthy paperwork process and various fees paid increases the demand for the services of consulting companies.

Making evaluations about the visa processes of students who want to study in the USA, One Key Visa General Manager Ashkan Kheirkahvash said, “The USA, which is known as the country of opportunities, is also in high demand from all over the world in the field of educational tourism. Naturally, when you apply for a visa to study in the USA, you face a rigorous elimination process. The F-1 visa, also called a student visa, is a key to entry into the United States for many students. Moreover, thanks to this visa, students who come to the USA and complete their education can apply for other visas and continue to live in the USA if the result is positive.

“We are rehearsing an interview with the former visa officer”

Emphasizing that the service they provide is not limited to just helping to collect documents, Ashkan Kheirkahvash detailed their support for the visa process as follows, “As One Key Visa, we provide consultancy services with our professional team, including our friends who worked in the US diplomatic mission, during this long and frightening process for students. We provide the service. With 14 years of experience, we carry out the entire application process of students from A to Z. Students are rehearsing interviews with our friend, who was in our team and worked as a visa officer before. Thus, we enable students to experience this exciting moment and realize their shortcomings.”