1 Indian in every 10 US visa applicants; 60% increase in 2023

The US embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai processed 1.4 million visas in 2023.

New Delhi: The citizens of India now represent one out of every 10 applicants for United States visas around the world, with the number of people from the country seeking the travel document to enter America going up by 60% in 2023 in comparison with 2022.

The US embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai processed 1.4 million visas – more than ever before – in 2023, bringing down visitor visa appointment wait times by 75%.

“Demand across all visa classes was unprecedented, with a 60% increase in applications compared to 2022. Indians now represent one out of every 10 US visa applicants around the world,” the US embassy in New Delhi stated on Monday, adding that the application for the visitor visas – over 700,000 – had rebounded to represent the second highest number of applications in the US mission’s history.

The US embassy and consulates met this demand through a three-month staffing surge in Mumbai early in the year, by increased permanent staff levels, and through the employment of innovative technical solutions. 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, according to a press release issued by the US embassy in New Delhi.

In 2023, the US 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 US and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the US.

The US embassy stated that issuing the employment visas remained a top priority for it. Consular Team 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 US, further streamlining the process for this group.

The US Consulate General in 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.

“The US mission continues to invest in the future of consular services in India and explore ways to provide more efficient and convenient services. These investments have included the opening of a new $340 million facility in Hyderabad in March 2023, the announcement of two new consulates in Ahmedabad and Bangalore, continued capital improvements to our facilities around the country, and the permanent assignment of more consular officers to India,” said the US embassy.