Close X
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
ADVT 
International

Making 'huge push' to process as many visa applications in India: US

Darpan News Desk IANS, 16 Jun, 2023 01:16 PM
  • Making 'huge push' to process as many visa applications in India: US

Photo courtesy of IANS and IStock

New York, June 16 (IANS) Consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India, which remains the US government's top priority, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a news briefing.

"The consular teams have been making a huge push to process as many visa applications as possible in India, including in those visa categories that are key to the bilateral relationship," Miller said on Thursday in response to a question on what can Indian can expect from the US on diplomacy, immigration and visa issues ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit.

"This is a top priority for our government. We know that there is more work that we can do, and we are working hard to do it," he said.

Miller's remarks came just after US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said that consular teams in Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi are on track to process the highest number of Indian student visa applications in history this year.

"This summer, we're on track to process the highest number of Indian student visa applications in the history of this Mission," Garcetti had said in a tweet praising his consular teams.

Garcetti had said that one out of every five US student visas was issued in India in 2022 -- more than the proportion of the Indian population in the world.

In 2022, Indians were issued the highest numbers of H&L employment visas (65 per cent) and F1 student visas (17.5 per cent) worldwide.

Miller said that White House will be making further announcements about Modi's visit in the coming days leading up to the trip next week.

The State Department spokesperson told reporters that the US looks forward to closely working with India on most vital priorities, which includes ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific.

"I will say generally our partnership with India is one of our most consequential relationships. We look closely with India on -- we work closely with India on our most vital priorities. They play a crucial role in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific that is connected, prosperous, secure, and resilient," Miller said.

MORE International ARTICLES

Sikh family alleges racial discrimination at Windsor Castle, threatens legal action

Sikh family alleges racial discrimination at Windsor Castle, threatens legal action
Rapinder Kaur, 36, said she, her turban-wearing husband and their two-year-old child were subjected to racial taunts by guards during a visit to the castle last year, The Independent reported.

Sikh family alleges racial discrimination at Windsor Castle, threatens legal action

21 year old Indian student, Kunal Kapoor, from Punjab dies in Australia car crash

21 year old Indian student, Kunal Kapoor, from Punjab dies in Australia car crash
Kunal Chopra was returning from work when his Hyundai Getz collided head-on with a concrete pumping truck on William Hovell Drive last week, SBS Punjabi, a multicultural and multilingual broadcaster in Australia, reported. The Australian Capital Territory Ambulance Service paramedics declared Chopra dead on the scene.

21 year old Indian student, Kunal Kapoor, from Punjab dies in Australia car crash

Indian-origin driver charged for killing 4 Sikh men in Australia crash

Indian-origin driver charged for killing 4 Sikh men in Australia crash
Harinder Singh Randhawa, who is recuperating in the hospital under police custody, was driving a Peugeot with four passengers inside when it collided with a Toyota Hilux ute at an intersection at Pine Lodge, near Shepparton earlier this month, the SBS Punjabi channel reported. Randhawa will be appearing in Melbourne Magistrates' Court on June 8.

Indian-origin driver charged for killing 4 Sikh men in Australia crash

Vigil held for 9 year-old Indian-American boy allegedly slain by father

Vigil held for 9 year-old Indian-American boy allegedly slain by father
More than 200 people held a candlelight vigil in McKinney, Texas, in the memory of a nine year-old Indian-origin boy who was allegedly stabbed to death by his father last week.Subramanian Ponnazhakan, 39, was booked on capital murder charge and his bail was set at $1 million, the McKinney Police said.

Vigil held for 9 year-old Indian-American boy allegedly slain by father

9 in 10 adults from India, US admit to cyberbullying: Study

9 in 10 adults from India, US admit to cyberbullying: Study
Among the 313 respondents from the US and India, more than half said they often do cyberbullying while only 6 per cent said they had never committed cyberbullying. Educated and married people, irrespective of their gender, were most likely to commit cyberbullying more frequently, but demographics were not the only factors at play. 

9 in 10 adults from India, US admit to cyberbullying: Study

Reckless driver jailed for killing Sikh woman in UK

Reckless driver jailed for killing Sikh woman in UK
Hashim Aziz was driving at over three times the speed limit to "impress his cousins" when his Audi A3 crashed into Baljinder Kaur Moore's Vauxhall Corsa in West Midlands, in November last year, the Mirror reported. Baljinder, 32, was on her way to pick up her husband from his brother's home, and she was driving at 62 mph.

Reckless driver jailed for killing Sikh woman in UK