India-America Relations / America became kind to India in giving visas, figures for 2023 released; A record was made

India-America Relations: In the year 2023, America has showered a lot of love on India in the matter of visa. Last year, America issued 14 lakh US visas in 2023, which is a record so far. Apart from this, the wait time for visitor visa appointment has also been reduced by 75 percent. The American Embassy has released figures regarding this. The US Embassy further informed that one out of every 10 US visa applicants worldwide is an Indian.

One in every 10 Americans is Indian

Further in the statement, the US Embassy said, "In 2023, US Embassies and Consulates in India issued a record 1.4 million US visas, which is 60 percent more in applications compared to the year 2022. Indians constitute the largest number of visa applicants worldwide. Now one in every 10 Americans, the visitor visa (B1/B2) has reached the second place in the number of applications in the history of America by more than 7,00,000. At the same time, investment in improving the process and staffing has Appointment waiting time for visitor visas across the country has been reduced from an average of 1,000 days to just 250 days and minimum waiting time across all categories.

14 Lakh visas issued

The US Embassy in India issued more than 14,00,000 student visas in 2023, setting a record for the third consecutive year, more than any other country in the world, the statement said. The top four students in the world are in visa processing positions from Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai. This has made Indian students the largest group of international graduate students in the United States. These account for more than a quarter of the more than 1 million foreign students studying in the United States.

'Employment Visa' is at number one

The US Embassy further said that 'Employment Visa' still remains the top priority. Consular Team India consolidated most of the petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad to increase efficiency, processing more than 3,80,000 employment visas for Indians and their family members in 2023 and minimizing appointments to US missions. Permission granted to maintain wait time.

Pilot program will be brought

It was further said that a pilot program will be launched this year, through which H1B visa holders will be able to renew their visas. The Mumbai Embassy ended the queue of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed due to the pandemic. It says those who have an immigrant visa petition pending and are awaiting scheduling can now get an appointment within the standard, pre-pandemic appointment window.