US visa for Indians: top American lawmaker hails Biden govt's measures to speed-up application processing

A senior American lawmaker has appreciated measures announced by the US government to reduce waiting time for visa applicants in India.

Congresswoman Grace Meng said that long wait times were "unacceptable", and she had pushed for the delays to be addressed. Meng, who is a member of the Congressional Caucus on India, said that the government's moves will help "businesses and families who are waiting for the arrival of workers and loved ones from India."

The Joe Biden administration has announced multiple measures, including extra consular staff and special interview days, to address the backlog in visa applications due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"The US and India continue to share a special bond, and this initiative to reduce backlogs will further strengthen the strong relationship that exists between our two great countries," Meng said. India broke the record for most student visas last year and it may do so again this year, Meng said, adding that India is now number two in the world in terms of international students coming to the United States.

The wait time for an interview for work visas – such as H-1B and L1 visas -- has gone down from 18 months to about 60 days. 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. Indians make up many of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas granted to skilled foreign workers, many in the tech industry.

(With PTI inputs)