The United States is making every effort to reduce waiting times for visa interview appointments in India, top State Department official Ned Prince said, adding that the processing of visas is recovering much faster than earlier projected and could reach pre-pandemic levels in 2023.
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“Visa processing is recovering faster than projected and over the coming year, we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels,” Ned Price said. On backlog in visa applications, he said that he understands the worry of those who have to wait for a long time for the same.
“I can tell you that it is a priority of the Secretary and of the Department to do everything we can to reduce that backlog and ultimately to reduce the wait times,” he said.
Ned Price also informed that the US has issued more student visas in the 2022 than in any year since 2016, saying that its embassy and consulates in India broke their all-time record for the number of student visas issued in a single year.
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“We issued nearly 1,25,000 student visas. We recognise that some applicants may still face extended visa wait times, and we’re making every effort to further reduce visa interview appointment wait times as quickly as possible in India and around the world, including for first-time tourist visa applicants,” he said.
“We know that timely visa processing is essential to the US economy and to the administration’s goal of family reunification. We’ve made great strides in recovering from pandemic-related closures and staffing challenges, but we’re still working to respond to the significant demand for visa services,” he added.
(With inputs from PTI)
