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The US is on track to issue more than a million visas to Indians this year, a senior official said as per news agency PTI. The Biden administration is committed to make sure that it processes all of the student visas for Indians, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu told PTI in an interview. US is also prioritising work visas- H-1B’s and L visas- most sought-after by IT professionals from India, he said.
“We are on track to issue more than a million visas this year. This is a record for us along with a record number of student visas and immigrant visas,” Donald Lu said.
India is now number two in the world in terms of international students going to the United States. “We’ve also been prioritising work visas: H-1B’s and L visas. Wait times at some of our consular sections in India, for these visas are now below 60 days. We will continue to make sure that we prioritise visas for workers, as this is vital for both the American and the Indian economy,” he said.
“For certain petition-based nonimmigrant work of visa categories, we plan to restart domestic visa renewal for applicants who meet certain requirements, including being physically present in the United States. We plan to have a pilot up and running later this year. This would eliminate the need for these applicants to travel abroad to renew their visas,” he added.
“I think part of the answer you can find in a really strong diaspora community in the US. For 30 years or more, our relationship is in part driven by Indian Americans who have lived here for decades, but still keep a very strong tie with India,” he explained.
On India-US relationship, the senior official said, “In fact, we now know that over 100,000 Americans are living in India as well. This relationship is very much to weigh and benefits both of us. Yeah. So, I think that’s true for political parties as it is for families in the US. Growing up I had many Indian American friends. I think that’s just part of the fabric of the United States.”
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