US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs, Rena Bitter, expressed her enthusiasm about her visit to India and highlighted the significant increase in travel between India and the US.
“We’re thrilled to be here. This marks the 11th annual dialogue on consular issues with our partners in the Indian government. We have a wide range of topics to discuss and a lot of positive news to cover. We’ll discuss the remarkable surge in travel between the United States and India. Today, more Indians have the opportunity to travel to the United States than ever before. We’ll also delve into issues that underscore the strong family connections between the United States and India,” she stated.
“Last year, our mission processed 1.4 million visas, the highest in many years. We’ve made significant strides. Virtually every visa category now has minimal wait times. While there are some wait times for certain travelers, we have mechanisms in place to expedite humanitarian and business visas. Over the past year, we’ve reduced wait times by 75%. This is a priority for us in Washington, given the importance of this bilateral relationship,” she added.
US official Rena Bitter is embarking on a trip to India, where she will engage with embassy and consulate colleagues in Chennai, Mumbai, and New Delhi. Her visit, scheduled from February 19-27, will also include a stop in Qatar.
In 2023, the US Consular Team in India processed a record 1.4 million US visas, a historic high, and managed to reduce visitor visa appointment wait times by 75%.
Indians now represent one in every ten US visa applicants globally, with visitor visas (B1/B2) showing a resurgence to become the second-highest number of applications in the US Mission’s history, totaling over 700,000.
Through process enhancements and increased staffing, appointment wait times for visitor visas have decreased from an average of 1,000 days to just 250 days across the country, with minimal waiting times in all categories.
In 2023, the US consular team in India issued over 140,000 student visas, surpassing other countries and setting a record for the third consecutive year.
Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai are the top four student visa processing posts globally. Indian students now constitute the largest group of international graduate students in the United States, comprising over a quarter of the more than one million foreign students studying there.
