US offers 250,000 new visa appointments for Indian students, workers, and tourists

The US Mission to India has announced 250,000 new visa appointments for tourists, skilled workers, and students. This move aims to improve access to interviews and strengthen US-India relations amid rising interest from Indian citizens in traveling or relocating to the US. In 2024, over 1.2 million Indians traveled to the US, a 35% increase from 2023. The US Embassy reported a record number of student visa applications, processing 140,000 in the past year. The new appointments will help meet the growing demand. The US has significantly reduced visa processing backlogs, cutting visitor visa wait times from over 1,000 days to an average of 250 days. Despite improvements, challenges remain for applicants, particularly during peak seasons, but the new appointments aim to ease some of these difficulties.