New Delhi: US Envoy to India, Eric Garcetti, while shedding light on visa appointments for Indians said that President Joe Biden told him to bring down visa waiting time in India. He said that it was the first instant that an ambassador was told to look into something like this in any country.
Garcetti said that part of the green card backlog issue is a legislative problem and said that this will have to be addressed by the US Congress. He highlighted that the number of visas has been adjudicated and brought down the waiting time by 75%. Garcetti said that part of it is a legislative problem that US Congress will have to address whether it’s the number of legal immigrants, the number of green cards or the number of people who become citizens.
He said that like any country there is a limit too which is very frustrating for Indians wanting to come to the US. He said that like any other country, there are limits too. He said that it is great news that many Indians want to come to the United States. Indian visas are second only to Mexicans, where Indian Visas last year the biggest number of students double the second biggest.
Garcetti said that last year over 245,000 student Visas came from India. Number one in adoptions, number one in all these categories shows that out of 1.4 billion people in India, a lot of them would like to come to America and it is a good problem to have. On being asked about the green card backlog issue and why are there only Indians in the backlog he said that a couple of things were changing.
He added that not just in Delhi but across India there was an increase of 60% in a single year with the same number of people and the number of visas they adjudicated and brought down waiting time by 75%. Garcetti was questioned upon that despite the 75% reduction in time limit there is still a waiting period of 250 days. He said that 250-days is a long way and too high for him and President Biden told him to bring down the visa wait time in India.
Garcetti said that India is doing quite well in their system and is the largest group to have the H1B visa so far. He added by saying that India is doing quite well in their system and is looking to continue and improve the numbers. As per the US Embassy in India for a third year in a row record number of Indian students travelled to the US to pursue higher education.
Indian students contribute to more than 25% of the over one million foreign students studying in the United States. The release of the Open Doors Report marks the beginning of international education and exchange worldwide which celebrates the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. He also mentions that the US plans to open two new consulates one in Bangalore and the other in Ahmedabad. He also said that the US is working with India’s Ministry of External Affairs to put more bodies in India and their response has been positive.
