View of U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad. File
| Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
For the second year in a row, the U.S. Mission to India issued more than one million non-immigrant visas, including a record number of visitor visas, underscoring the huge demand of Indians for tourism, business, and education.
In the last four years, the number of visitors has also increased by five times, and more than two million Indians travelled to the United States in the first eleven months of 2024, a 26% increase over the same period in 2023, the U.S. Consulate General Hyderabad said on Friday.
“Over five million Indians already have a non-immigrant visa to visit the U.S. and each day, the Mission issues thousands more,” it stated.
The Department of State, it said, was working to formally establish a U.S.-based programme in 2025 for the renewal process for thousands of applicants. A pilot programme to renew H-1B visas was completed this year, to allow specialty occupation workers from the country to renew their visas without leaving the U.S.
The U.S. Mission, it further added, issued tens of thousands of immigrant visas, facilitating legal family reunification and the migration of skilled professionals. These visa-holders became permanent residents upon their arrival in the U.S.
More than 24,000 passports and other consular services to American citizens living and travelling in India were offered. Year 2024 also saw Smart Traveller Enrolment Programme (STEP), a free service for enrolling trips abroad so that the department can quickly contact them in cases of emergency.
Education
According to its review, more Indian students than ever before now have U.S. student visas. India became the top sender of international students for the first time since the 2008-2009 academic year with more than 3,31,000 students overall studying in the States this year. Besides, India also remains the largest sender of international graduates to the U.S. for the second year; Indian graduate student numbers increased by 19% to reach almost 200,000 students.
“Many exchange visitors will now be able to stay in the United States and not need to return home for two years after completing their programmes there, offering more opportunities to further their careers and education. The removal of India from the Exchange Visitors Skills List has provided greater flexibility for these Indian J-1 non-immigrant visa holders,” it added.
Published – December 28, 2024 10:29 am IST