India


US issued 1.4 million visas to Indians in 2023: US Embassy in India

US issued 1.4 million visas to Indians in 2023: US Embassy in India

New Delhi, Jan 29 (UNI) Amid 'unprecedented' increase in visa applicants, the US Embassy and Consulates in India processed a record 1.4 million US visas in 2023.
With this, Indians now represent one out of every 10 US visa applicants around the world.
"The US Consular Team in India processed more visas than ever before in 2023, bringing down visitor visa appointment wait times by 75%," an official release from the US Embassy said on Monday.
As per the official release, the US Embassy and Consulates met the rise in demand for processing visa applications by beefing up its staff strength and adopting innovative technical solutions.
The Embassy said that process improvements and investments in staffing have brought the appointment wait time for visitor visas down from an average of 1,000 days to only 250 days around the country.
"Wait times are minimal in all other categories," it said.
In 2023, the U.S. consular team in India issued over 140,000 student visas – more than in any other country in the world setting a record for the third year in a row.
Taken individually, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world.
"As a result of these surging numbers, Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the United States and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States," said the Embassy statement.
It further said that employment visas remain a top priority for the US.
The statement said that the US Consular Team in India consolidated most petition-based visa processing in Chennai and Hyderabad to increase efficiency, leading to the processing of over 380,000 employment visas for Indians and their family members in 2023 and allowing the US Mission to maintain a minimal appointment wait time.
"In 2024, a pilot program will allow eligible H1B holders to renew their visas in the United States, further streamlining the process for this group," it said.
The release further said, "Consulate General Mumbai eliminated a queue of over 31,000 immigrant visa cases delayed by the pandemic. Those who have a pending immigrant visa petition and are ready for scheduling can now obtain an appointment within the standard, pre-pandemic appointment window."
UNI NK CS1934

More News
SC hears pleas challenging Waqf law, petitioners seek interim relief

SC hears pleas challenging Waqf law, petitioners seek interim relief

20 May 2025 | 2:44 PM

New Delhi, May 20 (UNI) A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih on Tuesday took for hearing a clutch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025.

see more..
SC grants bail to Anwar Dhebar in Rs 2,161 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam case

SC grants bail to Anwar Dhebar in Rs 2,161 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam case

20 May 2025 | 2:28 PM

New Delhi, May 20 (UNI) The Supreme Court has granted bail to Anwar Dhebar, brother of former Raipur Mayor Aijaz Dhebar, in a money laundering case linked to the alleged Rs 2,161 crore Chhattisgarh liquor scam. The apex court underscored that continued incarceration of an undertrial, in the absence of any substantial progress in the trial, is not legally sustainable.

see more..
Amid spike in COVID cases in Singapore an HK, Ministry issues advisory, allays fears

Amid spike in COVID cases in Singapore an HK, Ministry issues advisory, allays fears

20 May 2025 | 8:06 AM

New delhi/Chennai, May 20 (UNI) Amid rising concerns over increasing COVID cases in Singapore and Hong Kong, which is said to be not life threatening, Union Health Minister J P Nadda allayed the fears of the public and reviewed the situation at a High Level Meeting on Emergency Health Systems Preparedness to prevent spread in India.

see more..
SC to hear plea seeking FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma on May 21

SC to hear plea seeking FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma on May 21

19 May 2025 | 11:43 PM

New Delhi, May 19, (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to urgently hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the registration of an FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma, following serious allegations arising from the recovery of a large amount of unaccounted cash from his official residence.

see more..
SC upholds Kerala HC's order quashing govt move on Medical Education Corpus Fund

SC upholds Kerala HC's order quashing govt move on Medical Education Corpus Fund

19 May 2025 | 11:36 PM

New Delhi, May 19 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Monday upheld a Kerala High Court's judgment that quashed a government order validating the decision to remit to the State the corpus fund created to subsidise medical education for Below Poverty Line (BPL) students in self-financing medical colleges in Kerala.

see more..