Rajkotupdates.news: The Us Is On Track To Grant More Than 1 Million Visas To Indians This Year

NEW DELHI: To ensure that the US is working to reduce long wait times and backlogs, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu said the Biden administration has set a target of issuing more than one million visas for Indians this year.

Talking to PTI, Lu said the US is prioritizing work visas: H-1B and L visas, which are most sought after by IT professionals from India. The Biden administration committed this summer to ensure processing of all student visas for Indians starting school this fall, he added.

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

There are growing concerns in India about long waiting times for first-time visa applicants, especially for B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) applicants. India currently ranks second in the world in terms of international students coming to the US.

“We are also prioritizing work visas: H-1B and L visas. Wait times at some of our consular sections in India, for these visas are currently less than 60 days. We will continue to ensure that we prioritize visas for workers, as this is important to both the US and Indian economies,” Lu said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations requiring theoretical or technical expertise. Tech companies rely on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

Lu said for some application-based nonimmigrant visa categories, there are plans to restart domestic visa extensions for applicants who meet certain requirements, including having present in the United States.

“We plan to launch a pilot program later this year,” he said. This will eliminate the need for applicants to travel abroad to renew their visas.”

Responding to a question about Indian IT professionals who are on H-1B visas and have lost their jobs, Lu noted that the Department of Homeland Security recently released some new information specifically about what these workers This must be done if you want. readjust their status