US introduces new 'America First' visa scheduling tool, Marco Rubio says in Delhi

New Delhi: The United States will introduce a new ‘America First’ tool to schedule the processing of visa applications, prioritising the ones filed by business professionals, President Donald Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, said in New Delhi on Saturday.

Rubio inaugurated the new Support Annex Building at the US embassy in New Delhi.

“Dedicated a new consular wing at our Embassy in New Delhi that will provide the necessary infrastructure for more rigorous vetting, processing, and screening to protect US borders,” the US secretary of state posted on X.

“Every visa decision is a national security decision, and I’m proud to empower the Americans who work here as they serve on the frontlines of advancing our interests and President Trump’s America First foreign policy”.

Rubio will have a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday. He and Jaishankar will join their Australian and Japanese counterparts – Penny Wong and Toshimitsu Motegi – for a meeting of the Quad Foreign Ministers in New Delhi on Monday.

“We recognise that an orderly and secure consular system is vital to solidify this important relationship. That's why we're introducing a new America First visa scheduling tool that prioritises business professionals who strengthen these ties,” Rubio said.

He said that India was at the cornerstone of how the US approached the Indo-Pacific, and not just through the Quad, but bilaterally.

“You see that in the $20 billion that Indian companies invested in the United States. You see it in their signing up for Pax Silica and the other opportunities we have to explore between two advanced economies.”

Under a new immigration policy, the Trump Administration has made it harder for temporary visa holders to obtain Green Cards from within the US, directing many applicants to complete the process from their home countries instead.

“This is not about India. This is a global situation that we're dealing with. Our country, unfortunately, faced a very serious migratory crisis a few years ago,” Rubio told NDTV.