INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: With China yet to resume fully, Indians have become the most significant globetrotters gathering the maximum visas for a number
of crucial locations and the US taking out all stops to cut the just-less-than-two-years for visitor visa interview cases
Britain in 2015 provided the maximum number of visas to Indians, who accounted for a quarter of the 28.4 lakh visas given up 2022
And several of Uncle Sams consular officers from around the world have actually been deputed to adjudicate visa applications filed in Mumbai
Last year Britain issued 28,36,490 visas, 25% of those went to Indians, more than to any other country
Indian nationals received highest trainee visas, up by 73% (over) 2021, most work visas, up by 130%, and biggest share of visit visas, 30%
of (those provided), British high commissioner to India Alex Ellis Tweeted on Tuesday.The US has taken a number of actions to cut visa wait
time in India-- which had actually nearly touched the 1,000-day mark last year for visitor visa, B1 (organization) and B2 (traveler),
These included making more candidates eligible for interview waiver, sending out drop-box cases abroad for adjudication and getting
short-term staffers.On Tuesday, the United States consulate in Mumbai tweeted: All hands on deck to lower visa wait times! Our
extraordinary team of consular officers have actually momentarily left their regular tasks around the globe, from state department in
(Washington) DC to the consulate basic in Okinawa (Japan) to help out with visa operations in Mumbai
Together, we are here to serve
The wait time for a non-immigrant B1/B2 visa interview appointment in Mumbai is presently at 694 days-- below 999 last November however
still just under two years
In Delhi, the current wait duration is at 614 days (down from 961 last November)
Around that time when wait duration was hovering near 1,000 days, Don Heflin, US Embassy in Indias minister counsellor for consular affairs,
had stated the mission in India will be at 100% (in terms of consular staffing) by summer of 2023
The steps taken have actually caused the wait duration drop from under three years to under two now in India, but still a long wait for
B1/B2 interview cases who are either newbie applicants or those whose previous visitor visas ended over 4 years back from the date of the
brand-new application.The US National Travel and Tourism Office anticipates the overall volume of global visitation to the country will
increase to 6.3 crore this year, over 21% more than 5.2 crore in 2022
It approximates international visitation to reach 8.2 crore in 2025, going beyond pre-pandemic 2019 level of 7.9 crore
And globetrotting Indians will be a huge portion of these anticipated numbers.
