New Delhi
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.
U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said, “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 U.S.-India friendship firsthand.”
Last year over 1.2 million Indians visited the United States, making this one of the most robust travel relationships in the world. 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.
Recognizing the continued high demand for U.S. visas, the United States continues to invest heavily in our 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 U.S. 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 utilizing 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.
As noted in the Joint Statement issued by Prime Minister Modi and President Biden during the President’s recent visit to India, the United States and India share a “close and enduring” partnership. Improved visa processing is only one example of the U.S. Mission to India’s ongoing commitment to strengthening that partnership.
