US to issue 100,000 priority visas monthly to Indians |
The waiting period to get an American visa is expected to see a significant fall by the summer of 2023, and more Indians are likely to avail the benefits from the reduced wait period. A senior official of the US Embassy in New Delhi has said that there will be about 1.2 million applicants overall. India is America`s top priority for the issuance of visas and by the middle of 2023, as the US hopes to return the situation to its pre-Covid-19 levels. The US hopes to issue approximately 100,000 visas every month and over 82,000 visas were awarded last year, the official said. The US is also launching a number of efforts, including adding more staff and expanding the "dropbox" facilities owing to the lengthy wait period for visa approval. The drop box facility is the method used to renew a US visa without having to go through the interview. For some categories, the wait time has already decreased from 450 days to about nine months. India is anticipated to jump from third place to second place in terms of the number of visas awarded by the US. India is currently behind Mexico and China. About 1 million slots became available for Indians for the H (H1B) and L category visas. Moreover, the approximately nine-month wait time for B1 and B2 (business and tourist) visas is also being reduced.
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