All people who have ever applied for a visa will surely agree that the most irritating part of the whole process is the visa wait time. For people who do not know, the visa wait time is the time you have to wait for a visa interview appointment. According to US Visa officials, India is their top priority. The senior administration officials here said that working on the visa wait time is important.
US Visa Officials Are Trying To Reduce Visa Wait Time
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South, Secretary of State Tony Blinken, and Central Asia Nancy Jackson said that reducing visa wait times is the top priority in the US. Jackson said that this is not only important to maintain people-to-people ties but to also expand them. Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, stated that it is not ideal for them to see someone wait so long for their visa.
She said that this year they have issued 36 per cent more visas as compared to the pre-pandemic time in India. This does look like a huge percentage of progress, as she mentioned. The Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Studies (FIIDS) has been working on various issues faced by Indian Americans. They have been working on it for several months with the Biden administration, especially visa wait time.
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Visa Stamping Program Will Start Soon
The State Department has already taken certain measures in order to reduce the visa wait time. This includes waiving off many categories from visa interviews, screening of visa applications by officials, involving other diplomatic missions, and more. It also includes the opening up of embassies in other countries for Indian visa seekers.
Julie Stufft also said that in the fall, the US will start visa stamping programmes domestically to renew visas within the US, including L-1 and H-1 visas. The initiatives to speed up the domestic visa revalidation process in certain categories are in place, according to the Department of State’s representative.
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