US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti on Saturday visited the visa counter located in Delhi and met with the applicants there who came to get their visa. In a video that was shared by the US Embassy in India, it can be seen the US Ambassador meeting the applicants and interacting with them.
“The gang’s all here! Our consular team in New Delhi woke up early this weekend for a special “Super Saturday” dedicated to meeting the unprecedented demand for U.S. visitor visas. We are seeing extra visa applicants with the help of Ambassador Eric Garcetti, our special guest finger printer!,” wrote in the caption for the video posted on social media X.
Meanwhile, the waiting period for getting an interview appointment for a US visa in the B1 and the B2 categories (business and tourism) currently stands at 37 days in Delhi, according to official data.
According to the data updated November 1 on the website, the current waiting period for getting an interview appointment for an American visa in the B1 and the B2 categories stands at 37 days in Delhi, 322 days in Mumbai, 126 days in Kolkata, 341 days in Chennai and 511 days in Hyderabad.
India has been one of the very few countries where applications for US visas had seen a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.
The official had also said the wait time for B1 and B2 (business and tourism) visas was also being brought down from around nine months.
New Delhi in the past has been taking up with Washington the issue of long waiting periods for US visas.
Last year over 1.2 million Indians visited the United States. Indians now represent over 10 per cent of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20 per cent of all student visa applicants and 65 per cent of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants.
According to a statement by the US Embassy, recognising the continued high demand for US visas, the United States continues to invest heavily in its operations in India.
“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 US Consulate in Chennai, and has inaugurated a new consulate building in Hyderabad.
“The mission has also implemented strategies to increase efficiency, extending interview waiver eligibility to new visa categories and utilising remote work to allow staff around the world to contribute to Indian visa processing. Early next year, the mission plans to implement a pilot program that would allow domestic visa renewal for qualified H&L-category employment visa applicants,” it said.
*With Agency Inputs
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Updated: 06 Nov 2023, 07:29 PM IST