US on Track to Issue More Than a Million Visas to Indians This Year: Official

The US is on track to issue more than one million visas to Indians this year, a senior official has said, assuring that the Biden administration is determined to ensure this summer that it issues all student visas to those Indians. processes those whose schools begin this fall.

Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, also told PTI in an interview this week that they are also prioritizing work visas: the H-1B and L visas, the most sought-after visas by India’s IT professionals. Are.

The H-1B visa is a nonimmigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.

Technology companies depend on it to hire thousands of employees every year from countries like India and China.

“We are on track to issue over one million visas this year. This is a record for us with a record number of student visas and immigrant visas,” Lu said.

Lu said the US is committed to ensuring this summer that it processes all student visas for Indians whose schools start this fall.

There are growing concerns about long waiting periods for first-time visa applicants in India, especially those applying under the B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories.

India now ranks second in the world for international students coming to the United States.

“We are also prioritizing work visas: H-1B and L visas. The waiting time at some of our consular sections in India is now less than 60 days for these visas. We will continue to ensure that we prioritize visas for workers, as this is important to both the US and Indian economies,” Lu said.

“For certain petition-based nonimmigrant work visa categories, we plan to resume domestic visa renewals for applicants who meet certain requirements, including being physically present in the United States. Are. We plan to have a pilot up and running later this year. This will eliminate the need for these applicants to go abroad for renewal of their visas.

In response to a question about Indian IT professionals who are on H-1B visas and have lost their jobs, Lu said the Department of Homeland Security has recently provided some new information, specifically on the point that What should these employees do who want to work. Correct their position.

He said that Indo-US relations have bipartisan support in the US.

“I think part of the answer you can find in America is a really strong expatriate community. For 30 years or so, our relationship has been driven partly by Indian Americans who have lived here for decades, But still have very strong ties with India.

More than a million people fly back and forth between the two countries.

“It’s an amazing number considering we’re not even close at all. It’s very expensive to fly back and forth. But people who immigrated here or maybe their parents came from India, those connections remain. They haven’t been cut off by immigration,” he said.

“In fact, we now know that more than 100,000 Americans are living in India as well. This relationship is very weighty and benefits both of us. Yes. So, I think it’s as true for political parties as it is for families in America. Growing up, I had many Indian American friends. I think it’s part of the fabric of the United States,” Lu said.

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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)