Underscoring the huge demand of Indians for travel to the United States for tourism, business, and education, the US Mission to India issued more than one million nonimmigrant visas for the second year in a row, including a record number of visitor visas.
In the past four years, visitor numbers from India have increased by five times, and more than two million Indians traveled to the United States in the first eleven months of 2024, a 26% increase over the same period in 2023, according to an embassy release.
Over five million Indians already have a nonimmigrant visa to visit the United States and each day the Mission issues thousands more.
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The Department of State completed a successful pilot program to renew H-1B visas in the United States this year. This allowed many specialty occupation workers from India to renew their visas without leaving the United States.
This pilot program streamlined the renewal process for thousands of applicants, and the Department of State is working to formally establish a US-based renewal program in 2025, according to the release.
The US Mission to India issued tens of thousands of immigrant visas, facilitating legal family reunification and the migration of skilled professionals. These immigrant visa holders became permanent residents upon their arrival, adding to the already rich and sizable Indian diaspora community in the United States.
The US Mission to India also provided more than 24,000 passports and other consular services to American citizens living and traveling in India. A new version of the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) debuted in 2024, making it easier for the embassy and consulates to contact American citizens during emergencies and send them safety and security alerts.
Increased processing of thousands of interview waiver-eligible nonimmigrant visa applications each week made it quicker and easier than ever for Indians to renew their nonimmigrant visas, the embassy stated.
By streamlining operations and utilizing global consular resources, the US Mission has been able to redirect its own resources to focus on in-person interviews, reducing wait times for all applicants.
More Indian students than ever before now have US student visas. In 2024, India became the top sender of international students for the first time since the 2008/2009 academic year with more than 331,000 students overall studying in the United States.
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India also remained the largest sender of international graduate students in the United States for the second year; Indian graduate student numbers increased by 19% to reach almost 200,000 students.
Many exchange visitors will now be able to remain in the United States and not need to return home for two years after completing their programs in the United States, offering them more opportunities to further their careers and education, according to the release.
The removal of India from the Exchange Visitors Skills List has provided greater flexibility for these Indian J-1 nonimmigrant visa holders, the embassy stated.