Surpassing almost two lakh visa application processing already, the US Mission is likely aiming to issue one million US visas in 2023.                          

The United States will likely issue nearly one million visas to Indians in 2023. The spokesperson from the US Embassy stated that the US Mission has already processed two lakh applications at the Embassy and Consulates in India, aiming to process more than one-million non-immigrant visas. It comprises non-immigrant visas from varied criteria like business, travel, student, and crew visas. The US Department of State has processed almost nine million non-immigrant visa applications globally in 2022.

The Embassy is adding its staffing scale, expanding the scope of drop-box facilities, and opening up interview slots over the weekend, enabling a smoothened procedure for Indian citizens. Alongside this, the waiting time for visas has also undergone a severe slump in the current scenario. Multi-pronged initiatives like opening up special interview slots on Saturdays favor fast processing of visas for first-time applicants, addressing the backlog in visa application processing. For instance, visa processes hindered on account of the pandemic are likely to resume via special interview slots. 

The US holds offices in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad, and is critically increasing the strength of its consular staffing on an efficient scale. The one-million visa plan is substantially an India-specific effort in strengthening the people-to-people ties between the two democratic nations. Further, the purview of the interview waiver is expanding alongside Indian citizens expecting a US visa.

Tending towards a drop-box facility aims at renewing US visas in various criteria like student visas, business and tourist visas, and skilled worker visas, inconsiderate of going through the interview procedure. The number of consular officers assigned permanently to the embassy and consulates are also soaring in recent times. 

The US mission in India will reach the utmost strength in the upcoming months, thereby, delivering visa processing at pre-Covid levels in the future. The Deputy Assistant Secretary for visa services encircled India as their priority in the current scenario, aiming for a formidable range of progression in the visa space. They have successfully issued 36 percent more visas in recent times, unlike the pandemic period, and the number will likely soar in the future.