US has set target to issue over 1 million visas to Indians in 2023: Senior US official

NEW DELHI: Giving assurance that the US is working hard to reduce long wait time and backlog, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Donald Lu said the Biden administration has set a target of issuing more than a million visas to Indians this year.

Talking to PTI, Lu said the US was prioritising work visas: H-1B's and L visas, the most sought-after by IT professionals from India. He further said the Biden administration was committed this summer to make sure it processes all of the student visas for Indians whose school starts this fall.
"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," Lu said.

There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first-time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. India is now number two in the world in terms of international students coming to the US.
"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," Lu said.

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.
Lu said that for certain petition-based nonimmigrant work of visa categories, there is a plan to restart domestic visa renewal for applicants who meet certain requirements, including being physically present in the US.
"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 said.
Responding to a question on those Indian IT professionals who are on H-1B visas and have lost their jobs, Lu noted that the Department of Homeland Security recently put out some new information specifically on the point of what these workers ought to do who want to readjust their status.