Indians largest group of international graduate students in US

In 2023, the US issued over 1.4 lakh student visas to Indians, which is more than in any other country in the world, also setting a record for the third year in a row, according to the figures released by US Embassy and Consulates in India on Monday.

As a result of these surging numbers, Indian students have become the largest group of international graduate students in the US and make up more than a quarter of the over one million foreign students studying in the country, it said.

Taken individually, Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai now stand as the top four student visa processing posts in the world, the statement said.

Giving an overview of other categories of visas issued to Indian citizens last year, the US Embassy statement said they processed 1.4 million (14 lakh) visas in India during the year 2023. Even as the country saw an unprecedented rise in demand for visas across all classes, appointment wait-time dropped by 75 percent.

Demand across all visa classes was unprecedented, with a 60% increase in applications compared to 2022. Indians now represent one out of every 10 US visa applicants around the world, it said.

Visitor visas (B1/B2) have rebounded to represent the second highest number of applications in the US Mission’s history – at over seven lakh.

“Process improvements and investments in staffing have brought the appointment wait time for visitor visas down from an average of 1,000 days to only 250 days around the country,” said the official communique from the US Embassy.

Employment visas remain a top priority, says the US, as it prepares to launch a pilot programme that will allow eligible H1B holders to renew their visas in the US. The move will significantly benefit Indian tech workers, who will be able to get their visas processed while being in the US, it said. More than 3,80,000 employment visas for Indians and their family members were processed in 2023.

In late 2022, in the wake of rising visa waiting times post-pandemic, the US had come forward to announce a significant liberalisation of the visa process for Indian citizens, expanding the interview waiver in multiple categories, including student visas, business and tourist visas, and skilled worker visas.