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'Obviously not ideal...': US official on Indian citizens' visa interviews abroad
US diplomatic missions outside India have been issuing visitors visa to Indian citizens in a bid to reduce the wait time.
The wait time for a US visitor's visa interview in India has saw a significant decline this year with an increase in the number of officials and new diplomatic missions to process these applications, according to a senior official. Julie Stufft, deputy assistant secretary of state for visa services, said that the goal is to issue one million US visas this year, which would be above the pre-pandemic number, reported news agency PTI.
"We have increased the number of officers going to India. We have set up arrangements, which is unprecedented, with other embassies in the world like Bangkok to take Indians who are seeking visas. We are opening a new consulate in Hyderabad... and we're just focused on making sure that we can bring the wait time down in India," PTI quoted the official as saying.
US visitor's visas are non-immigrant visas for those who want to visit the United States for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes (B-1/B-2). Visitor visa cannot be issued for the purpose of study, employment, paid performances, arrival as a crew member on a ship or aircraft, foreign press, or permanent residence in the United States.
Stufft noted that Frankfurt, London and Abu Dhabi have taken a lot of Indian citizens who are seeking visas.
"We have asked these missions to take Indians as if they were from their own host country. Especially in places like Bangkok where there is no visa required for Indians and it is a relatively short flight.
"Obviously this is not ideal. We want Indians to be able to apply in India, and that's where we'll get to," she said.
More than 100 US diplomatic missions have been issuing visas to Indians.
"As a result of all of these efforts, the visitor visa interview wait time has decreased by 60 per cent just in the last couple of months. This is a result of all the work that we've put into making sure that Indians who wish to travel to the US can do so."
In addition to the visitor's visa, Stufft said the US state department is working on other types of visas including, student visas.
"Because we have been able to expand interview waivers, meaning fewer Indians need to come to the embassy or consulate for an interview, we can process that without seeing the applicant. That has helped us tremendously because we have had consular officers in dozens of countries who are actually remotely processing these Indian visas," Stufft said.
This has made it possible for people who don't need an interview, those who have travelled to the US before, to get their visa in a record time of less than two weeks, she said.
(With PTI inputs)
