Indian Consulate to organise free camp for Tri Valley students

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Feb 2 (PTI) The Indian Consulate in SanFrancisco and the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) will holda free legal camp for Indian students who have been affectedby the alleged immigration scam of Tri Valley University whichwas closed by the federal investigating agencies last week.

The camp to be attended by SABA attorneys wouldcounsel TVU students free of charge on their rights andimmigration options, a consulate official said in an email.

The move, welcomed by the students, comes in the wakeof these Indian students running from one attorney''s office tothe other seeking legal advice on what to do next.

While quite a few number of eminent Indian immigrationattorney''s are providing advice to the students on a voluntarybasis, there are quite a few others who have started chargesmoney from these students.

The free legal camp would be held at the IndianConsulate in San Francisco on Saturday.

Indian Embassy in Washington is working with its otherconsulates too to work out similar free legal aid to Indianstudents in other parts of the country as well.

Such a move comes after the Indian Embassy inWashington over the weekend on its website �www.indianembassy.org � set up dedicated helpline for itsstudents.

The advisory asked students of Tri Valley Universityto write to [email protected] and [email protected] to seekguidance from the Indian authorities.

"The Embassy of India in Washington, DC has taken upwith the US State Department the issue of Tri ValleyUniversity in California, so as to ensure that Indian studentsare not subjected to any kind of discrimination orvictimization," the advisory said.

"The Embassy along with the Consulate General in SanFrancisco have set up a dedicated e-mail address to enable theaffected students to communicate and seek guidance from theIndian authorities," it said.