The United States is taking significant steps to address the long visa wait times for Indian citizens, according to Julie Stufft, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services. Stufft stated that the US is “putting every ounce of its energy” towards eliminating the wait times for visas in India, including sending a cadre of consular officers to the country and opening up its other overseas embassies as far away as Germany and Thailand for Indian visa applicants.
This comes as a response to growing concerns in India over the prolonged waiting period for first-time visa applicants, particularly for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. In October of last year, the waiting period for first-time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to three years.
The US has one of the largest visa operations in the world, with a variety of visa types that need to be serviced in India, including student visas, tech worker visas, immigrant visas for those moving permanently to the US, and seafaring crew member visas. The US has made progress in addressing the wait times for these visa types this year, with the wait time for an interview for work visas, such as H-1B and L1 visas, decreasing from 18 months to 60 days.
Stufft also noted that India broke the record for most student visas last year and is on track to do so again this year, making India the second highest country in the world for international students coming to the US. The US is now focusing its efforts on reducing wait times for visitor visas, particularly for those that do not require an interview.
The pandemic posed a significant obstacle in visa operations for the US, causing a complete halt in the process. However, the State Department is now putting a significant amount of stress on its operations to make up for lost time, with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken taking a personal interest in reducing the visa wait time.
While progress has been made, Stufft acknowledged that there is still work to be done, with one visa category still having a wait time of over 400 days. However, she emphasized that the US is committing a significant amount of manpower and resources to addressing this issue and reducing the wait time as much as possible.
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