The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday said that it is aware of the challenges being faced by the Indians in getting US visas and added that the government is closely engaged with the concerned authorities in the US to ease the visa issues.
The ministry, in a statement in Rajya Sabha, said that there is a large global backlog of visa applications due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
“The Ministry of External Affairs is aware of the challenges being faced by Indian travellers in the last two years for obtaining visas for the US, particularly in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the ministry told Rajya Sabha.
The statement comes as reports said that people in India seeking a tourist or business visa for the US may have to wait for three years to get one.
Those planning to visit the United States on visitor visas – B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) – will have to wait for nearly three years and the waiting time for applicants in India is close to 1,000 days.
“According to US Government officials, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on their consular operations and resumption of international travel, there is a large global backlog of visa applications,” the MEA informed the parliament.
“The Government of India is closely engaged with the concerned authorities in US, with the objective of further easing the visa issues for all categories of Indian travellers to USA,” it added.
Earlier in November, the Ministry of External Affairs has said it has not raised the issue with Washington but expects the visa system of a country to be predictable and less time taking.
Asked if the matter had been taken up with the US, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, ”We want that when people want to go somewhere, the visa system should be simple. This is our expectation.”
The White House has said this month that the US administration is aware of the agonising delay in visa appointments in India and is working to respond to the “significant demand” for these services.
“I can say that the Biden administration is aware of the issues,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on December 9.
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