US issues 1 Million visas to Indians
In an effort to streamline visa processing in India, the United States Embassy in New Delhi announced that over 1 million U.S. visas have been issued this year by the Embassy and various Consulates across India.
According to a press release, the U.S. Embassy is celebrating a record-setting 2024 by issuing more than 1 million visas for the second consecutive year. Among these, 673,000 were visitor or tourist visas, reflecting a significant 30% increase compared to the previous year.
Additionally, more than 331,000 student visas were granted to Indian students, setting another new record. Indian students now represent the largest group of foreign students in the U.S., surpassing China, which sends the second-highest number each year. Graduate student enrollment from India grew by 19%, reaching nearly 200,000 students.
The U.S. Embassy also announced the successful completion of a pilot program allowing Indian workers to renew their H-1B visas while remaining in the U.S.
The Embassy emphasized its ongoing efforts to enhance processes that reduce wait times and better serve visa applicants. “Over five million Indians currently hold a non-immigrant visa for the U.S., with thousands more being issued each day,” the statement noted.
In the past four years, the number of visitors to the U.S. has quintupled, with over two million Indians traveling to the U.S. in the first 11 months of 2024, a 26% increase compared to the same period in 2023.
The U.S. State Department is also working to launch a U.S.-based program in 2025 to facilitate the visa renewal process for thousands of applicants. This includes the completion of the pilot program that enables H-1B visa holders in specialty occupations to renew their visas without leaving the U.S.
The U.S. Mission in India has also issued tens of thousands of immigrant visas, supporting legal family reunification and the migration of skilled professionals, many of whom have now become permanent residents upon arrival in the U.S.
Additionally, the U.S. Mission highlighted that many exchange visitors will now have the opportunity to remain in the U.S. for two years after completing their programs, providing more career and educational opportunities. The removal of India from the Exchange Visitors Skills List has also granted greater flexibility for Indian J-1 visa holders, unlike the UK