Anthony Blinken said that the US was aiming to address visa concerns.
Foreign minister S Jaishankar today said that he flagged some visa related challenges for Indians to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in their meeting. Blinken said the issues were largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also reassured Mr Jaishankar that the United States was aiming to address those concerns.
The waiting period for Indians looking to secure a visitor visa to the US has gone up to 800 days, according to the website of the US State Department. The waiting period is nearly 400 days for student/exchange visitor visas and other non-immigrant visas.
Indian students comprise nearly 20 per cent of all international students in the United States, with the Open Doors report in 2021 showing there were 167,582 students from India in the 2020-2021 academic year.
The US State Department website shows that average wait for a visa appointment in the consulate at New Delhi is 833 days for visitor visas and 430 days for student visas.
If the location is changed to Mumbai, the average wait time for a US visa appointment is 848 days for a visitor visa and 430 days for a student visa. The waiting time for all other non-immigrant visas is 390 days in Delhi and 392 days in Mumbai.