Good news for Indians waiting to fly to US

[Anta Assamey]

Here's some good news for Indians eagerly awaiting the opportunity to travel to the United States.

The US Consulate General in Mumbai has announced that applicants can now schedule their appointments for immigrant visa interviews within the standard time frame, as the visa backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has been successfully eliminated.

In the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic, the waiting times for immigrant visa applicants had surged to over two years. However, applicants whose immigrant petitions are current—meaning that visas are available, and the applicants are ready to book an appointment—can now schedule their immigrant visa interviews within the standard processing time.

This development is expected to expedite the reunification of families in the United States, according to a press release from the Consulate General.

The press release also noted that there are currently over 900,000 Non-Immigrant Visa (NIV) applications being processed, and this number is set to surpass one million visas shortly.

Previously, United States Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, had set a goal of processing at least one million visas in 2023. He had also mentioned that the wait time for first-time tourist visa interviews has been reduced by more than 50 percent.

Ambassador Garcetti pledged to continue investing in the expansion of visa operations and the strengthening of the team.

He stated, "We will explore innovative solutions to streamline the visa process, including reducing the need for in-person interviews, which will enable consular teams around the world to assist in processing visas for the growing number of Indian travelers."

India and the United States are jointly working to make the visa application process more efficient.

During his recent visit to the US, Prime Minister Modi, in his interaction with the Indian community, announced that Indian professionals can renew their work visas without the need to travel abroad.

He also revealed plans to open new US consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad, stating, "It has now been decided that H1B visa renewals can be done in the US itself."

This announcement was made during Prime Minister Modi's address to the Indian diaspora at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington DC.