US Visa Norm

The US administration has waived the in-person interviews requirement whenever possible to reduce the wait time for visa clearances

India discussed with the US the inordinate delays in issuance of business visas to the people from India, and there has been a good resonance of it by the Americans, visiting Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said Wednesday. "We found very good resonance to our request that issuance of business visas which is taking a long time back home in India is an area which needs to be expedited so that business persons interested on both sides -- the US businesses and Indian businesses -- need to have faster processing of business reasons, so that trade and investment and business does not suffer," Goyal told reporters at the conclusion of India-US Trade Policy Forum meeting that he co-chaired with the US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. India, Goyal said, has made the request to the US that they may speed up the issuance of regular business visas when people come in for short trips to pursue their trade and business interests. "We are delighted that the movement of ...

Amid reports that people in India seeking a tourist or business visa for the US may have to wait for three years to get one, the Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said it has not raised the matter with the country, but expects the visa system of a country to be predictable and less time taking. According to media reports, those planning to visit the United States on visitor visas - B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) - will have to wait for nearly three years and the waiting time for applicants in India is close to 1,000 days. Asked if the matter had been taken up with the US, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "We want that when people want to go somewhere, the visa system should be simple. This is our expectation." He said it had not been taken up formally because "we would not want someone commenting on our system." "But we would want the system to be predictable, simple and does not take much time. We have seen the (US) embassy here has said that they are taking steps to .

The waiting period for issuance of American visas is expected to see a significant fall by summer of 2023 and the number is projected to reach around 1.2 million, a senior official of the US embassy said on Thursday. "India is number one priority for Washington (for issuance of visas). Our aim is to bring the situation to the pre-Covid-19 level by the middle of next year," the official said. India has been one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. Considering the long wait time for grant of visas, the US is also rolling out a series of initiatives including hiring of more personnel and increasing the "drop box" facilities, the official said. The plan is to issue around one lakh visas every month. The official said the US has already identified H (H1B) and L category visas for Indians as its priority and nearly 1,00,000 slots were released recently for those wanting to renew the ...

Easier norms support upsurge; US remains top destination for STEM students

"President (Joe) Biden often portrays himself as a man from the 'working class' who is a tireless defender of the American worker," said FAIR president Dan Stein

Successful applicants would be decided by a computerised draw of lots

The legislation will hugely benefit hundreds of thousands of Indian professionals in America who have been waiting for years to get their green cards

The number of Indian students studying in American universities and colleges fell 4.4 per cent in 2019-20 (FY20) year-on-year

Hike may have a short-term cost impact on IT Indian companies, which are already ramping up hiring in the US and offshoring projects elsewhere.

Indian companies may step up US hiring after Trump administration's proposal to make changes in visa rules.

It called for prohibiting American employers from using H-1B workers to displace Americans in outsourcing contracts

The Trump administration has announced those F-1 and M-1 (non-academic and vocational students) visa holders planning to take online classes only will not be allowed to remain in the US

Around 1,500 non-resident Indians, who travelled for family emergencies and annual vacations are stranded in India since the lockdown

Typically the USCIS can extend the stay of any Non-Immigrant Visa application based on genuine and urgent conditions

The new restrictions will not apply to tourist, business, or other nonimmigrant travel

"Visa applicants deemed by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth will now be treated like other foreigners coming to the US for medical treatment"

The previous Obama administration under an executive order in 2015 had started giving work authorisation permits to certain categories of H-4 visa holders, who were mostly spouses of H-1B visa holders

Move to impact domestic IT sector, already facing pressure on revenue growth and profitability front