In a statement, a United States visa official said that “India is the number one priority of the United States.” Since the Covid-19 pandemic, visa processing has increased by around 36 percent.On Tuesday, Julie Stufft, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, spoke to the media during a session sponsored by the Foundation for India and Indian Diaspora Research. “India is the number one priority that we are facing right now. We are absolutely committed to getting out of this situation. Anyone in India seeking a visa appointment or visa has to wait for thats definitely not ideal.”She further added, so far we have issued 36 percent of Indian visas more than we did before the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a huge percentage in the process.Also, according to US official Julie Stufft, the US will begin its domestic stamping programme for visas, including H-1 and L-1 visas, in the fall. A spokeswoman from the Department of State informed the media that steps are in place to expedite domestic visa revalidation in some categories on a trial basis.She acknowledged that the difficulties are still being experienced and the department was also expanding the interview for the waiver process for some temporary workers, students and academic exchange visitors.“As I look at the relationship it strikes me that people-to-people ties between our two nations are really the bedrock of what is one of the most consequential relationships in the world and that is the India-US relationship. And we cant underscore that enough and so addressing the view wait time that we were facing is critical. Not only to maintain these people-to-people ties but also to expand in that space. So because of that, this issue remains a top priority,” she added.According to the Immigration and Nationality Act, the H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that enables American businesses to hire foreign workers for specialised positions that call for theoretical or technical expertise.According to Deputy Assistant Secretary for India, Nancy Jackson, the relationship between the US and India is most vital on a people-to-people level. She also added that Indian applicants who are already abroad on business can go and apply for a US visa. Citing Thailand and Germany as two examples, weve also opened up other missions, which is truly unprecedented, she said. If they decide to travel to India, we have specifically requested other US embassies to accept their visa applications.US embassy said that the US mission in India launched their first session on January 21, in a series of special Saturday interviews. These special interviews are among the measures that have been taken to clear the backlog in visa applications due to Covid-19.Notably, the dozens of temporary visa officials from Washington and other countries would come to India to increase processing capacity in January-March.Know the eligibility for applying H-1B and L1 visa:Who is eligible for an H-1B visaA person who has been offered a temporary professional position by a U.S. firm may qualify for H-1B status. The minimum educational requirement for a position to qualify for H-1B status is a bachelors degree or higher in a related field, and the H-1B employee must possess this degree (or higher).Who is eligible for an L1 visaA US visa for intra-company transfers is the L-1 visa. It enables a US corporation to move an important employee from one of its offices abroad into the US L-1 visa enables businesses to establish a presence in the United States for the transfer of their executives, managers, and specialist workers.
