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The United States has processed 1.4 million visas for Indians in 2023, marking an all-time high and significantly slashing visitor visa appointment wait times by 75 per cent.
Indians now constitute one-tenth of all US visa applicants globally, with demand skyrocketing across all visa categories, witnessing a remarkable 60 per cent surge compared to the previous year.
“In 2023, the US Embassy and Consulates in India processed a record-smashing 1.4 million US visas. Demand across all visa classes was unprecedented, with a 60 per cent increase in applications compared to 2022. Indians now represent one out of every ten US visa applicants around the world,” a statement by the US Embassy and Consulates in India said.
Visitor visas (B1/B2) experienced a notable resurgence, representing the second-highest number of applications in the history of the US Mission, surpassing 700,000. The United States has ramped up staff in India whoch have led to a remarkable reduction of appointment wait times from an average of 1,000 days to a mere 250 days nationwide, across all visa categories.
The US consular team in India achieved another milestone by issuing over 140,000 student visas in 2023, setting a record for the third consecutive year. Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai emerged as the top four student visa processing posts globally, solidifying Indian students as the largest cohort of international graduate students in the United States, constituting over a quarter of the one million foreign students in the country.
The statement from the US Embassy and Consulates emphasized the continued priority on ’employment visas.’ A strategic consolidation of petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad contributed to the efficient processing of over 380,000 employment visas for Indians and their family members in 2023. This initiative also played a pivotal role in maintaining minimal appointment wait times.
In a first, a pilot program slated for this year will enable eligible H-1B holders to renew their visas in the United States, further streamlining the process for this particular group.
Miller earlier this month said that a cap on international students would not be a “one-size-fits-all solution” to housing shortages across Canada. More than 800,000 international students were issued temporary study visas in 2022. Miller said last fall that 2023’s numbers were on track to be more than triple the number accepted 10 years ago.
The Consulate General Mumbai successfully addressed a backlog of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed by the pandemic, eliminating the queue and allowing those with pending immigrant visa petitions to schedule appointments within the standard, pre-pandemic timeframe.”The US Mission continues to invest in the future of consular services in India and explore ways to provide more efficient and convenient services,” the Mission added.
These investments have included the opening of a new $340 million dollar facility in Hyderabad in March 2023, the announcement of two new consulates in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, continued capital improvements to our facilities around the country, and the permanent assignment of more consular officers to India.
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