Long wait times for US visas have become a well-known issue, and US officials have repeatedly stated that they are making every effort to reduce the visa wait times in India. However, despite these efforts, the average wait time for non-immigrant visas requiring an interview in India remains around a year and a half.
A US official stated on Tuesday that the country is working to engage diplomatic spouses and doubling direct hires at its embassy in order to expedite visas for Indians.
Notably, both individuals and businesses have expressed frustration over long wait times for the United States Visa, because the embassy cut staff during the pandemic and was unable to meet the rising demand for visas at the required rate when the economies reopened.
Arun Venkataraman, US assistant secretary of commerce for global markets said;
“We are doubling the number of direct hires, we have to facilitate the issuance of visas here at the embassy and we are also working to bring on diplomatic spouses to also work in the process in the areas of visas.”
“We are still taking steps to improve the situation. We have seen some improvement and are currently issuing more visas than ever before,” said Venkataraman, who is currently in New Delhi in preparation for US commerce secretary Gina Raimondo’s planned visit in March.
It may be noted that the wait time for B1/B2 category visa applicants (who are eligible for Interview Waiver) from Chennai is less than a week, and it is nearly 21 days from Delhi.
US Issues Record Visas In 2022
According to the US embassy and consulates in India, they issued a record number of visas to Indian students in 2022 than in any other year since 2016, according to State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.
The US embassy and consulates in India, according to Price, broke their all-time record for the number of student visas issued in a single fiscal year. He stated that the US has issued more H1B and L visas in 2022 than it did in pre-pandemic 2019, and that good progress has been made in issuing student visas.
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