The United States Embassy and its consulates in India have issued an all-time record of over 1,40,000 student visas this year between October 2022 and September 2023.
The US State Department announced this development on Tuesday, November 28.
“Our embassy and consulates in India issued an all-time record of more than 140,000 student visas. From October 2022 through September 2023 (the 2023 federal fiscal year), the Department of State issued a near-record level of nonimmigrant visas of more than 10 million globally,” it said.
Moreover, the US embassy and consulates issued more than 6,00,000 student visas, the highest in any year since Fiscal Year 2017, stated a report by ANI.
The statement by the US State Department further said that these achievements were possible because of innovative solutions, such as expanding interview waiver authorities that allow frequent travellers who meet strict national security standards to renew their visas without having to visit an embassy or consulate.
"Looking to the future, we are exploring new technologies to assess opportunities to streamline operations, such as the option of domestic renewal in select visa categories," it added.
Last month, the US Mission to India reached and surpassed the goal to process one million non-immigrant visa applications in 2023.
"Indians now represent over 10 per cent of all visa applicants worldwide, including 20 per cent of all student visa applicants and 65 per cent of all H&L-category (employment) visa applicants. The United States welcomes this growth," the statement said.
