US issued over one million non-immigrant visas to Indians for second consecutive year
India became the top contributor of international students in the United States for the first time since 2008-’09, with over 3,31,000 persons studying there.
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The US Mission to India said on Friday that it issued over one million non-immigrant visas to Indian citizens for the second consecutive year in 2024.
This included a record number of visitor visas, which the mission said emphasised the travel demand from India to the United States for tourism, business and education.
A non-immigrant visa allows people to enter the United States temporarily for tourism, business, medical treatment and certain types of temporary work.
The US Mission to India said that the number of visitors to the United States from India increased five-fold over the last four years, adding that more than two million Indians travelled to the United States in the first eleven months of 2024 – a 26% rise from 2023.
In a press release, the embassy also mentioned that the US Department of State completed a pilot program for renewing H-1B visas, enabling many special occupation workers from India to renew their visas without having to leave the country.
The US Department of State is also planning to establish a formal US-based renewal program in 2025.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows companies in the United States to temporarily employ foreign workers for special occupations.
The embassy also highlighted that India has become the top contributor of international students in...