Reducing visa waiting time a priority of Joe Biden administration, says US envoy to India

The United States (US) Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti has said that reducing the waiting time that Indians currently need to go through for obtaining a US visa is a priority for the Joe Biden administration.

“I think visas touch Indians more directly than anything else that America does. And it’s a good problem to have. More and more Indians want to come to the United States, to study, as tourists… We are committed to solving this problem,” the US Ambassador was quoted as saying by NDTV.

“The President said, ‘Eric, go fix this’. It’s not just a 10th or 11th priority. It’s the number one priority for me,” he added.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to visit the US next month, Eric Garcetti said that key announcements in this regard are expected when the Indian PM meets Joe Biden.

“Already, wait times (for visa) are down 60 per cent since the beginning of the year. In January, February and March, we processed a record number of visas. Last year the largest source of student visas came from India than any other country,” Eric Garcetti said.

“Hold on, in the next few weeks, when our leaders meet, you will get many announcements. And even before that we are prepared for the student visa season and already the wait time is getting shorter and shorter. We want more Indians to continue to come to America,” he added.

According to a high-ranking official, the US is on track to grant Indians more than a million visas this year. According to Donald Lu, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, the US also gives priority to H-1B and L visas, which are the most popular among Indian IT experts. Lu made this statement to news agency PTI in April.

A non-immigrant visa called the H-1B allows US businesses to hire foreign nationals for specialised jobs that need for theoretical or technical skills.

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