US to issue one mn visas to Indians

The number of visas issued by the US to Indians is expected to touch one million soon, says an official at the US consulate.

The number of visas issued by the US to Indians is expected to touch one million soon, an official at the US consulate in Chennai has said.

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"Currently the number of visas issued is around 7,60,000 and this will go up to one million in a few years," Frederick J Kaplan, acting US consul general, said at a function organised by SRM University in Chennai on Tuesday evening.

He said there are about 83,000 Indian students in the US, constituting the largest foreign student community.

Referring to a study conducted by Duke University, Kaplan said one in seven start-ups in Silicon Valley was promoted by an Indian immigrant.

He added that Indian American Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, is being considered as a probable running mate for Republican presidential candidate John McCain.