New Delhi: US visa issuance waiting periods are expected to see a significant drop by the summer of 2023 and the number of visa applications is projected to reach 1.2 million, a senior US embassy official said on Thursday.
“India is the number one priority for Washington (for issuance of visas). We aim to bring the situation to pre-Covid-19 levels by the middle of next year,” the official said.
India has been one of the very few countries that saw a huge jump in applications for US visas after the coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.
The official said the US is taking several initiatives, including hiring more personnel and expanding “drop box” facilities, to address the long wait times for visas.
There is a plan to issue around one lakh visas every month.
The official said that the US has already identified H (H1B) and L category visas for Indians as its priority and recently around 100,000 slots were issued for those wishing to renew visas. Were.
The waiting time for some categories has been reduced to around nine months from the earlier 450 days.
The official said that the waiting time for B1, B2 (Business and Tourism) visas is also being reduced from around nine months.
The official also said that India is expected to move from the current number three to second in terms of number of visas being issued by the US.
At present, Mexico and China are ahead of India.
The US will initially focus on applicants using the “drop box” feature.
The official said that priority is also being given to cut down the waiting time for the visas of students, especially for those who are looking for renewal of their visas.
The process of applying for renewal of US visa without visa interview is known as drop box facility.
Broadly speaking, applicants who have held a US visa within a period of the last four years are eligible for the drop box facility.
The US has issued about 82,000 visas in the past year.
New Delhi has been taking up the issue of long waiting times for US visas with Washington.
“We are looking at 11 to 1.2 million visa applications for Indians by next summer,” the official said.