The U.S. Mission to India opened an additional 250,000 visa appointments for Indian travelers, including tourists, skilled workers, and students. The recently released new slots will help hundreds of thousands of Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating the travel which is the backbone of the people-to-people ties that underpin the U.S.-India relationship.
For the second consecutive year, the U.S. Mission to India has processed over one million non-immigrant visa applications. During this summer’s student visa season, all first-time student applicants were able to obtain appointments at the consular sections across India. The mission is now focusing on reuniting families, connecting businesses, and promoting tourism.
More than 1.2 million Indians have travelled to the United States year to date in 2024, a 35 percent increase over the same period in 2023. At least six million Indians already have a nonimmigrant visa to visit the United States, and each day, the Mission issues thousands more.
As U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti recently noted, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden set an ambitious goal to improve and expedite the visa process and I’m proud to say that we have delivered on that promise. Our consular teams at the embassy and four consulates work tirelessly to ensure that we meet the surging demand.”
