NEW DELHI: The United States processed a record-breaking number of visas in 2023 and also cut short visitor visa appointment wait times by 75% in India.
The US embassy and consulates in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, meeting the unprecedented demands across all visa classes.
The consular team issued over 140,000 visas to Indian students in 2023, which was more than in any other country in the world, setting the world record for the third year in a row.
The embassy registered a 60 per cent increase in applicants compared to 2022. The US embassy claimed that Indians represent “one out of every ten US visa applicants around the world”.
“Visitor visas (B1/B2) have rebounded to represent the second-highest number of applications in the US Mission’s history – over 700,000. The US embassy and consulates met this demand through a three-month staffing surge in Mumbai early in the year, by increased permanent staff levels, and through the employment of innovative technical solutions,” said the US embassy.
“Process improvements and investments in staffing have brought the appointment wait time for visitor visas down from an average of 1,000 days to only 250 days around the country. Wait times are minimal in all other categories,” the embassy added.
Cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world, the embassy highlighted.
Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the United States and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States, the embassy said.
However, for Indians employment visas remain a top priority prompting the consular team in India to consolidate most petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad to increase efficiency, leading to the processing of over 380,000 employment visas
The embassy also said that consulate general Mumbai eliminated a queue of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.Watch US shatters records, grants 1.4 million visas to Indians in 2023– Find out how!
The US embassy and consulates in India processed 1.4 million visas in 2023, meeting the unprecedented demands across all visa classes.
The consular team issued over 140,000 visas to Indian students in 2023, which was more than in any other country in the world, setting the world record for the third year in a row.
The embassy registered a 60 per cent increase in applicants compared to 2022. The US embassy claimed that Indians represent “one out of every ten US visa applicants around the world”.
“Visitor visas (B1/B2) have rebounded to represent the second-highest number of applications in the US Mission’s history – over 700,000. The US embassy and consulates met this demand through a three-month staffing surge in Mumbai early in the year, by increased permanent staff levels, and through the employment of innovative technical solutions,” said the US embassy.
“Process improvements and investments in staffing have brought the appointment wait time for visitor visas down from an average of 1,000 days to only 250 days around the country. Wait times are minimal in all other categories,” the embassy added.
Cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world, the embassy highlighted.
Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the United States and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States, the embassy said.
However, for Indians employment visas remain a top priority prompting the consular team in India to consolidate most petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad to increase efficiency, leading to the processing of over 380,000 employment visas
The embassy also said that consulate general Mumbai eliminated a queue of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic.Watch US shatters records, grants 1.4 million visas to Indians in 2023– Find out how!