US to process more than a million visas to Indians, says Biden administration official

Washington: The US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu said that the country is currently working to issue more than a million visas to Indians this year, ensuring that the Biden administration is committed to processing all student visas for Indians who are due to attend school this year.

Lu told PTI that they are prioritising work visas: H-1Bs and L visas which are the most sought by Indian IT professionals.

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

Tech companies usually depend on such visas to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

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

He added, “We’ve also been prioritising work visas: H-1B’s and L visas. Wait times at some of our consular sections in India, for these visas are now below 60 days. We will continue to make sure that we prioritise visas for workers, as this is vital for both the American and the Indian economy.”

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

With inputs from agencies

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