The United States Embassy in India has established a new record. It has already completed its objective of issuing one million US visas to Indians this year. “The U.S. Mission to India has reached and surpassed its goal to process one million nonimmigrant visa applications in 2023. The Mission has already surpassed the total number of cases processed in 2022 and is processing almost 20% more applications than in pre-pandemic 2019,” said a press release by the US Embassy in India.
U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti highlighted the contribution of Indians and said, “To all one million applicants, thank you for choosing to be a part of the US-India story. Whether you are studying, working, vacationing or investing, your contributions are a big part of what makes this relationship so great.”
#Missionto1M accomplished! We are excited to announce that the U.S. Mission to India has reached and surpassed our goal to process one million visa applications in 2023!
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) September 28, 2023
We will not stop here and continue our progress in coming months, to give as many Indian applicants the… pic.twitter.com/4mTypC2wqh
The US Ambassador lauded the India-US partnership and termed it “one of the most important relationships in the world.” He asserted that the bonds among the people of the two countries are stronger than ever. The official stated, “Our partnership with India is one of the United States’ most important bilateral relationships and in fact one of the most important relationships in the world. The ties between our people are stronger than ever, and we will continue our record-setting volume of visa work in the coming months to give as many Indian applicants as possible the opportunity to travel to the United States and experience the US-India friendship firsthand.”
He discussed the adjustments made to reach such high numbers and disclosed that President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for the expediting of visas. As a result, extra staff members were hired and a system overhaul was put into place.
He noted, “PM Modi and President Biden had said let’s do a better job of moving faster on visas. So, MEA here approved more bodies in places like Hyderabad, more people who can work on visas, we changed our systems, worked harder and smarter and we have processed a million visa applications this year today officially. We just have to continue to prepare for the future.”
The statement called it as is one of the most active travel relationships in the world with over 1.2 million Indians travelling to the United States in the past year. “Indians now represent over 10% of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20% of all student visa applicants and 65% of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants. The United States welcomes this growth.”
It mentioned that the Western power continued to make significant investments in its operations in India in recognition of the persistently high demand for U.S. visas. “In the past year, the Mission has expanded its staffing to facilitate more visa processing than ever before. The Mission has made significant capital improvements to existing facilities, such as the U.S. Consulate in Chennai, and has inaugurated a new Consulate building in Hyderabad.”
It further added, “The Mission has also implemented strategies to increase efficiency, extending interview waiver eligibility to new visa categories and utilizing remote work to allow staff around the world to contribute to Indian visa processing.” The press release read that the country’s mission intended to launch a pilot programme early in the next year that would let qualified H&L-category employment visa applicants renew their domestic visas.
The mission made reference to the joint declaration issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden during his recent visit to India and pointed out that the two nations have a “close and enduring” alliance. It affirmed, “Improved visa processing is only one example of the U.S. Mission to India’s ongoing commitment to strengthening that partnership.”
