Eric Garcetti, the US Ambassador to New Delhi, announced plans to expedite visa issuance in India by bolstering staff numbers at the Hyderabad consulate and establishing new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
Garcetti highlighted the increased personnel at the Hyderabad consulate and revealed ongoing efforts to secure premises for new consulates in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad. During his visit to Ahmedabad for the India-Australia World Cup cricket final, he inspected the location designated for the future US consulate in the city.
Acknowledging the surge in visa applications, Garcetti mentioned a significant rise, approximately one-third, in the number of US visas issued in recent weeks as part of the intensified endeavor to tackle the backlog.
He noted improvements in wait times for visas, particularly for students and tourists, which now ranged from six months to a year based on the application office. Despite challenges posed by the growing volume of applicants, Garcetti assured a focus on expediting visas for Indian nationals.
Attributing delays to the substantial increase in applications, Garcetti admitted difficulty in specifying exact wait times. He also noted similar issues in countries like Brazil and Mexico, where large applicant numbers contributed to processing delays.
(With Agency Inputs)
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