Key Highlights
This year the United States Mission to India earlier this year issued more than one million non-immigrant visas to Indian nationals for the second consecutive year, a historic achievement. This milestone, which has never been seen before, comes on the back of the increasing interest in Indians' travel to the US for tourism, business, and education.
Record-Breaking Visa Issuance
So far, in 2024, the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi has processed more than one million non-immigrant visas for Indian citizens, the same amount as the 2023 record. In this figure, we also find large numbers of visitor visas as Indians have become extremely interested in travelling to the United States.
Surge in Indian Visitors
The embassy says Indian visitors to the US have hit a record high. More than 2 million Indians visited the US in the first 11 months of 2024, an increase of 26 per cent on the same period in 2023. Across the board, visitor numbers have risen fivefold from India in the past four years; it's just one trend.
Right now, over five million native Indians possess and have a valid non-immigrant visa in the United States, and thousands more obtain them each day. The strong and increasing person-to-person mobility between the two nations is seen in this substantial survey.
Indian students coming to the US tops international student rankings. India has become the top foreign supplier of international students to the US for the 2024 and 2025 school year in a historic shift. India has taken this top position for the first time since the 2008â€Â2009 academic year. This is the first time that India has held this top position since the 2008â€Â2009 academic year. In total, India has a very large share of the international student community, and currently, over 331,000 Indian students are enrolled in U.S. educational institutions.
Graduate Student Influx
The U.S. attracts international graduate students, once again, with India being its largest contributor for the second year in a row. But there was a massive 19 per cent jump in the number of Indian graduate students – almost 200,000. This trend reflects why Indian students who wish to study for higher degrees see U.S. higher education as of good quality and attractive to them.
H-1B Visa Renewal Program
The State Department tested a program to renew H-1B visas in the US — and for that, many Indian professionals working in the US are happy. This enabled many speciality occupation workers from India to renew their visas without leaving the country. Now, the Department of State is focused on establishing a U.S.-based renewal program in 2025, which will make the process much faster for thousands of applicants.
Visas for Immigrants and Family Reunification
Additionally, the U.S. Mission to India has issued, to this date, tens of thousands of immigrant visas for legal family reunification and admission of skilled professionals. When these visa holders arrived in the U.S., they became permanent residents, helping to grow and diversify the fabric of the Indian diaspora in America.
Enhanced Visa Processing
The mission said it sped up the processing of interview waiver eligible nonimmigrant visa applications, making it easier and quicker to renew visas for Indians. Through innovative use of resources and operations and an alignment with global consular resources, the U.S. Mission has been able to refocus on more in-person interviews, resulting in fewer wait times for all applicants.
In addition, the Mission helped over 24,000 American citizens in India get passports and various other consular services. Its new iteration, called a Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), was released just this past year (2024) and allows U.S citizens to have a new platform to communicate and be safe in emergency situations.
Changes to the Exchange Visitor Program
This provides more flexibility for Indian J-1 nonâ€Âimmigrant visa holders because India is no longer on the Exchange Visitors Skills List. Exchange visa visitors should find more opportunities for career advancement and further education, as many are now able to stay in the U. S. for lengthy periods after the completion of their programs.
Conclusion
Such a record-breaking issuance of non–immigrant visas to India in 2024-25 symbolises the strengthening relationship between India and the U.S. With India set to become the leading source of international students and with changes on the horizon in the visa renewal process, this new mobility and opportunity for Indian citizens in the U.S. is here to stay. In the years to come, we can anticipate even more robust exchanges in education, business and cultural spheres between both nations as they continue to reinforce their partnership.
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