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US embassy issued 1.4 million visas in India in 2023
Over 380,000 employment visas were processed for Indians in 2023.
Indian ambassador to India Eric Garcetti with Indian students / representative image: US Embassy
The US Embassy and Consulates in India processed a whopping 1.4 million US visas in 2023, significantly reducing visitor visa appointment wait times by 75 percent.
The embassy emphasized the prioritization of employment visas, highlighting that over 380,000 employment visas had been processed for Indians and their family members during the previous year.
Visitor visas (B1/B2) rebounded to represent the second-highest number of applications in the US Mission’s history, exceeding 700,000, according to a statement released by the US mission in India.
In order to meet this soaring demand, the embassy witnessed a three-month staffing surge in Mumbai, with increased permanent staff levels and leveraged innovative technical solutions, the statement by the embassy said.
These efforts, coupled with process improvements, slashed the average appointment wait time for visitor visas from 1,000 days to a mere 250 days nationwide, it added.
Notably, the US consular team issued over 140,000 student visas in 2023, setting a record for the third consecutive year. Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts globally.
Consequently, Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the US, constituting over a quarter of the one million foreign students studying in the country.
The Consulate General in Mumbai achieved a significant feat by eliminating a backlog of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed by the pandemic. Those awaiting immigrant visa appointments can now obtain scheduling within the standard, pre-pandemic appointment window.
The US Mission's commitment to enhancing consular services in India is evident through strategic investments. This includes the inauguration of a new $340 million facility in Hyderabad, the announcement of two additional consulates in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, capital improvements to existing facilities nationwide, and assigning more consular officers to India, the statement added.
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