NOV 29, 2023 : Between October 2022 and September 2023, the US Embassy and its consulates in India issued an unprecedented number of student visas—more than 140,000. The US State Department said on Tuesday, “Our embassy and consulates in India issued an all-time record of more than 140,000 student visas.” The State Department of the United States said, “From October 2022 through September 2023 (the 2023 federal fiscal year), the Department of State issued a near-record level of nonimmigrant visas of more than 10 million globally.” There were more nonimmigrant visa decisions made by half of the US embassies and consulates than ever before. Furthermore, the statement stated that the US embassy had given around eight million business and tourist visitor visas—more than in any previous fiscal year since 2015. The statement went on to say that these accomplishments were made possible by creative solutions, like extending the authority for interview waivers, which let regular travellers who fulfil stringent national security requirements renew their visas without needing to go to an embassy or consulate. “Looking to the future, we are exploring new technologies to assess opportunities to streamline operations, such as the option of domestic renewal in select visa categories,” it continued. The US Mission to India exceeded its target last month, handling one million non-immigrant visa applications by the year 2023. In a statement, the US Embassy and Consulates in India stated that over 1.2 million Indians travelled to the US last year, making it one of the most robust travel partnerships in the world. Currently, more than 10% of all visa applicants globally are Indian, with 20% of all student visa applicants and 65% of all H&L-category (work) visa applicants being Indian. The statement continued, “The United States welcomes this growth.” In the meantime, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti paid a visit to the US embassy in the country’s capital earlier this month to supervise the “unprecedented demand” among Indians for US visitor visas. ‘Super Saturday’ saw Garcetti as the special guest assisting the additional visa applications, according to the US Embassy.
