Indian students and business travellers visiting the United States can now look forward to quicker visas. This follows a conscious decision by the United States to embrace bona fide visitors in a more welcoming fashion this year.
Students bound for the US for higher studies will have greater leeway. Visas will now be issued 120 days before the start of the academic year, instead of the 90 days so far. And students can start arriving in the US 45 days before classes begin, instead of the 30 which was the norm.
The streamlined procedures, announced by the State Department, come in the wake of a decline in the flow of foreign students to the United States in recent years because of the tight visa and security regime following the 9/11 terror attack. For business travellers, a new facility to complete applications and make appointments online will start with a pilot plan.