Sticking to its promise of increasing the speed at which the visas were being processed, US visa officials declared Indian as their number one priority. They added that a rise of 36% in visa processing has been witnessed across the country.
At a Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies event, Julie Stufft, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, stated that India is the “number one priority that [they] are facing right now” Understanding the delays in visa processing Stufft declared their commitment to solving the challenges.
Stufft further revealed that the US embassies and consulate offices across India issued 36% more visas compared to the pre-Covid numbers, calling the rise “a huge percentage of progress”.
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However, the visa official also highlighted that the US is dedicated to only increasing the processing, announcing a Visa Stamping programme which is set to start domestically within the USA to renew visas like H-1, L-1 and others.
Stufft stated that a call for applications will be sent out this fall for the first time. She added that a pilot programme will be held this summer, where people under the worker status will be invited to participate in the programme. This means that those under the H, L and I visas will be included, she revealed.
Among some unprecedented moves, the officials revealed that prospective Indian applicants travelling for business to any other country can also apply for a US visa at the embassy in the respective countries. Stufft highlighted the example of Thailand, stating that they have asked: “other US embassies to take on Indian visa applicants, specifically, if they choose to travel there”.
Nancy Jackson, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for India, spoke of the people-to-people ties that unify the India-US relationship. Citing this relationship as the most consequential relationship in the world, Jackson stated that the issue of the wait times is critical, not only to maintain the “people-to-people” ties but to expand the ties as well.
Earlier in January, the US Missions in India introduced “a series of special Saturday interview days” in a bid to reduce the wait times faced by first-time visa applicants. Across cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata, the missions announced consular operations on Saturday to accommodate more in-person interview appointments.
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In addition to the special Saturday interviews, officials also highlighted the steps taken by the US Department of State to inculcate remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants who previously possessed US visas. To implement this process, official statements revealed the dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies, arriving in India to increase the overall processing capacity between January and March.
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Source: Livemint; The Hindu
