2.5 lakh new US visa slots for Indians

The US Embassy in India has opened an additional 2.5 lakh new visa appointments for Indian travellers, including tourists, skilled workers and students. This will help Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating the travel which is the backbone of the people-to-people ties that underpin the US-India relationship, the US embassy said.

It said it had already surpassed 10 lakh non-immigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year. During the student visa season this summer, the US processed a record number of applications. All first-time student applicants were able to obtain an appointment at one of the five consular sections across India.

More than 12 lakh Indians have travelled to the US in 2024 so far, a 35 per cent increase over the same period last year. In 2023, the US issued over 1.4 lakh student visas to Indians, which is more than in any other country, also setting a record for the third year in a row.