The US Embassy and its consulates in India issued more than one million nonimmigrant visas for the second year in a row, including a record number of visitor visas, underscoring the huge demand of Indians for travel to the US for tourism, business, and education.

In the past four years, visitor numbers from India have increased by five times, and more than two million Indians traveled to the US in the first eleven months of 2024, a 26 per cent increase over the same period in 2023, US Embassy release said on Friday.

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Over five million Indians already have a nonimmigrant visa to visit the US and each day the Mission issues thousands more.

The Department of State completed a successful pilot program to renew H-1B visas in the US this year. This allowed many specialty occupation workers from India to renew their visas without leaving the US. This pilot program streamlined the renewal process for thousands of applicants, and the Department of State is working to formally establish a US-based renewal program in 2025.

The US Mission to India issued tens of thousands of immigrant visas, facilitating legal family reunification and the migration of skilled professionals. These immigrant visa holders became permanent residents upon their arrival, adding to the already rich and sizable Indian diaspora community in the US.

The US Mission to India also provided more than 24,000 passports and other consular services to American citizens living and traveling in India. A new version of the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) debuted in 2024, making it easier for the embassy and consulates to contact American citizens during emergencies and send them safety and security alerts.

Increased processing of thousands of interview waiver-eligible nonimmigrant visa applications each week made it quicker and easier than ever for Indians to renew their nonimmigrant visas. By streamlining operations and utilising global consular resources, the US Mission has been able to redirect its own resources to focus on in-person interviews, reducing wait times for all applicants.

More Indian students than ever before now have US student visas. In 2024, India became the top sender of international students for the first time since the 2008/2009 academic year with more than 331,000 students overall studying in the US. India also remained the largest sender of international graduate students in the US for the second year; Indian graduate student numbers increased by 19 per cent to reach almost 200,000 students.

Many exchange visitors will now be able to remain in the US and not need to return home for two years after completing their programs in the US, offering them more opportunities to further their careers and education. The removal of India from the Exchange Visitors Skills List has provided greater flexibility for these Indian J-1 nonimmigrant visa holders.