A piece of good news for Indian travelers as the U.S. Mission to India announced an additional 2.50 lakh visa appointments for Indian travelers, including tourists, skilled workers and students on Monday.
Focus On Bringing Families Together
So far, the US Mission to India has already surpassed 10 lakh non-immigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year, as mentioned in an official statement from the US Embassy in New Delhi.
The release further mentioned that “the recently released new slots will help hundreds of thousands of Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating the travel which is the backbone of the people-to-people ties that underpin the U.S.-India relationship,” said the US-India relationship, US embassy in New Delhi during an official statement on September 30.
When it comes to the US Mission to India, it has already surpassed 10 lakh non-immigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year, as noted in the official statement.
Further the report added, “During our student visa season this summer, we continued to process record numbers, and all first-time student applicants were able to obtain an appointment at one of our five consular sections around India. We are now focused on bringing families together, connecting businesses, and facilitating tourism.”
So far, more than 12 lakh Indians have travelled to the United States year to date in 2024.
This represents a 35 percent increase over the same period in 2023, according to the Embassy.
Improving and Expediting Visa Process
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden set an ambitious goal to improve and expedite the visa process and I’m proud to say that we have delivered on that promise. Our consular teams at the embassy and four consulates work tirelessly to ensure that we meet the surging demand,” said the US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti.
In case of Indians, they have already become the largest group of international graduate students in the US.
Indians make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the US so far.
On the other hand, The US continues to retain its place among the top four destinations preferred by Indian students, besides Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
Other countries such as Australia will begin offering up to 1,000 work and holiday visas each year to Indian citizens from October 1, as part of its commitment under the India-Australia interim free trade agreement.
