A senior official of the US embassy said on Thursday that the waiting period for issuance of American visas is expected to drop significantly by the summer of 2023 and the number is projected to reach around 1.2 million.
“India is number one priority for Washington (for issuance of visas). Our aim is to bring the situation to the pre-Covid-19 level by the middle of next year,” the official said.
India was one of the few countries where applications for US visas increased significantly after Coronavirus-related travel restrictions were eased.
According to the official, the US is also launching a series of initiatives to shorten the visa application process, including hiring more employees and expanding the “drop box” system. It is planned to issue around one lakh visas per month.
The official said the US has already identified the H (H1B) and L category visas for Indians as its priority, and nearly 1,00,000 slots have already been released for renewals.
Some categories have already seen their wait times reduced from 450 days to around nine months.
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Additionally, the wait time for B1, B2 (business and tourism) visas has been reduced from around nine months.
As for the number of visas issued by the US, the official said India is expected to move from number three to number two. India is currently behind Mexico and China.
According to the official, priority is also being given to reducing the waiting time for student visas, particularly for those looking to renew their visas.
The drop box facility refers to the method of applying for a US visa renewal that does not require a visa interview. Applicants who have held a US visa within the last four years are generally eligible for the drop box service. In the last one year, the US issued approximately 82,000 visas.
“We are looking at 1.1 to 1.2 million visas to Indians by next summer,” said the official. India has been taking up with the US the issue of long waiting periods for US visas.
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