The United States issued a record 1.4 million visas for Indians in the year 2023, which is the highest so far, slashing the visitor visa appointment wait times by 75 per cent.
The US Embassy and Consulates in India released a statement saying that now Indians represent one out of every 10 US visa applicants around the globe.
"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," the statement read.
With more than 7,00,000 applicants, visitor or B1 and B2 visas now recuperate to represent the second-highest number of applications in the history of the US Mission.
The improvements made in the process and the increase in the number of staff members have been dubbed as the reason behind increased efficiency in the process.
Reportedly, the appointment wait time for visitor visas has come down to only 250 days around the country from an average of 1,000 days with minimal wait time in all categories around the country.
The US consular team in India issued over 140,000 student visas in the year 2023, which is more than in any other country in the world setting a record for the third consecutive year.
“Taken individually, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world. As a result of these surging numbers, Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the US and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the US,” the statement said.
The US Embassy and Consulates furthermore added that employment visas remain a top priority.
Consular Team India consolidated most petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad to increase efficiency, leading to the processing of over 3,80,000 employment visas for Indians and their family members in 2023 and allowing the US Mission to "maintain a minimal appointment wait time" for the visa applications.
In another significant development, a pilot program in 2024 would allow eligible H1B holders to renew their visas in the United States, further simplifying the process for this group.
The ones who have a pending immigrant visa petition and are ready for scheduling can now obtain an appointment within the standard, pre-pandemic appointment window, it stated.
"The US Mission continues to invest in the future of consular services in India and explore ways to provide more efficient and convenient services. These investments have included the opening of a new USD 340 million 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," the US Embassy and Consulates said in the statement.
(With inputs from agencies)