Nasrin Jabin, a graduate and postgraduate from the Peace and Conflict Studies department at the University of Dhaka (DU), topped her class and received the 'Tajuddin Ahmed Peace Gold Medal'. She has been awarded a full-funded scholarship for a PhD at Washington State University in the United States. However, she is waiting for a visa interview at the US Embassy in Dhaka. Her interview has been postponed twice due to complications arising from the quota reform movement and the ongoing curfew. Despite trying to schedule a new interview, Zebin is uncertain when she will get a new appointment.

Zebin told Bonik Barta that her orientation at the US university is scheduled for August 14, with classes starting on August 15. Her visa interview was initially scheduled for July 19. However, due to the unrest related to the quota reform movement, the interview was postponed to July 26. The embassy later postponed this date as well, and Zebin has been unable to secure a new appointment despite trying to find one through the embassy's website.

Every year, many students from Bangladesh go to the United States for higher education. Last year alone, 13,563 students traveled to the US for studies. A 'Media Note' from the US Embassy on July 10 highlighted that the number of Bangladeshi students going to the US increased by 28 percent compared to the previous year. The number of students from Bangladesh in the US last year was the highest on record, placing Bangladesh 13th in the list of countries sending international students to the US.

According to sources at the US Embassy in Dhaka, the number of Bangladeshi students in the US has increased by over 300 percent in the past decade. In the 2011-12 fiscal year, 3314 Bangladeshi students went to the US. By the 2022-23 fiscal year, this number had grown to 13563. In the 2020-21 fiscal year, 8598 students from Bangladesh went to the US for higher education, increasing to 10597 in the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Another former DU student, Tofayel Ahmed (a pseudonym), is also facing visa complications. Tofayel Ahmed, who completed his postgraduate studies, received a scholarship to study civil engineering at the University of Louisiana in the US and is now awaiting a visa. He told Bonik Barta that he had applied for an Emergency Response (ER) appointment for a visa interview, paying the required fee. The embassy initially scheduled his interview for July 18 but later canceled it, citing the ongoing complications in the country.

He, like other students planning to study in the US, expressed concern, saying, "I have secured a full-funded scholarship for a higher degree in the US. I have already rented a place there and booked my flight ticket. Now, I am facing uncertainty."

At least a thousand students have been inconvenienced by the suspension of visa interviews at the US Embassy due to the quota reform movement and the curfew. Many students who need to enter the US within a specific time frame are concerned about potential complications in their academic programs due to visa delays. The repeated postponements of interview dates have caused anxiety among the students. Bonik Barta reached out to the US Embassy in Dhaka for comment but received no immediate response.

Interviews with visa applicants revealed that the US Embassy had not conducted visa interviews for almost two weeks due to the quota reform movement and the ongoing curfew. Even though applicants are given specific interview dates, they are later canceled, with new dates communicated via email. Many students have reported difficulty scheduling new interview dates through the embassy's website.

Conversations with at least 20 students planning to go to the US revealed that those scheduled for interviews on July 17 had their dates postponed. Many with interviews scheduled for July 20 are still waiting for new dates.

According to relevant sources, the delay in attending university on the designated day could result in the loss of scholarships or complications with funding. Dr Bruce Pinkleton, Dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, told Bonik Barta, "For students with scholarships, it is crucial to attend the initial days of classes. Missing these can lead to issues with funding or even the scholarship itself. However, the regulations can vary depending on the faculty and the type of scholarship."

The unrest surrounding the quota reform movement and the subsequent imposition of a curfew led to the US Embassy allowing some employees and their families to leave Bangladesh voluntarily. Following this, several embassy employees returned to the US. Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the US State Department, confirmed this during a regular press briefing on July 24, stating that the US had authorized the voluntary departure of non-emergency staff and their families from the US Embassy in Dhaka.