The US mission in India has surpassed its goal to process one million nonimmigrant visa applications in 2023, the embassy announced on Thursday. The mission said it surpassed the total number of cases processed in 2022 and is processing almost 20 percent more applications than in pre-pandemic 2019.
“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,” said US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
#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!We will not stop here and continue our progress in coming months, to give as many Indian applicants the… pic.twitter.com/4mTypC2wqh
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) September 28, 2023
Last year over 1.2 million Indians visited the United States, making this one of the most robust travel relationships in the world. According to the US embassy, Indians now represent over 10 percent of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20 percent of all student visa applicants and 65 percent of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants.
Amid the high demand for its visas, the embassy said 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 US 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 statement added.
The US mission said it 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 a recent joint statement, the US 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, the embassy said.
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