US has plans to reduce visa waiting time for Indians

The US Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, with waiting times decreasing for most visa categories by 75%. The only category that is still experiencing delays in available visa appointments is the B-1/B-2 tourist visa, specifically for first time visitors to the US,.

Washington: According to the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs, the U.S. Department of State (DHS) is working to reduce the wait time for visa appointments for Indians hoping to travel to the United States, reported boundless.com

The US Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, with waiting times decreasing for most visa categories by 75%.

The only category that is still experiencing delays in available visa appointments is the B-1/B-2 tourist visa, specifically for first time visitors to the US,.

“Last year, the Embassy in India processed 1.4 million visas, an explosion of an incredible number…in every category there is no waiting time at all except in one area of travel and that is people traveling for the first time to the United States for tourism,” said the Bureau’s Assistant Secretary Rena Bitter.

Wait times for student visas improved in 2023, even with increasingly high demand.

The U.S. Embassy in India processes a significant number of F-1 student visas, with one in four international students in the US. being from India.

In addition to tourist and student visas, the Assistant Secretary also spoke of the importance of supporting Indian workers on H-1B status, and how the State Department’s new H-1B visa renewal pilot programme will help ease the immigration process and reduce waiting times for many Indian workers in the US.

***********************************************************************

Readers

These are extraordinary times. All of us have to rely on high-impact, trustworthy journalism. And this is especially true of the Indian Diaspora. Members of the Indian community overseas cannot be fed with inaccurate news.

Pravasi Samwad is a venture that has no shareholders. It is the result of an impassioned initiative of a handful of Indian journalists spread around the world.  We have taken the small step forward with the pledge to provide news with accuracy, free from political and commercial influence. Our aim is to keep you, our readers, informed about developments at ‘home’ and across the world that affect you.

Please help us to keep our journalism independent and free.

In these difficult times, to run a news website requires finances. While every contribution, big or small, will makes a difference, we request our readers to put us in touch with advertisers worldwide. It will be a great help.

For more information: pravasisamwad00@gmail.com