Washington: Top US congressmen have urged the Biden administration to solve the visa wait time issue in India on a priority basis, describing India as a vital partner where people-to-people relationships play a significant role.
As part of two separate Congressional hearings on the Consular Affairs Budget, Senator Bob Menendez, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Michael Waltz, Co-Chair of the House India Caucus, questioned top State Department officials about why Indian citizens had to wait up to 600 days for visas.
"The United States enjoys strong people to people ties with India. India is now part of the QUAD. We are constantly engaging it in geostrategic interests that we have. New Jersey is home to a great number of Indian Americans and their families. I appreciate and applaud the department's heightened focus towards reducing wait times for first time B1-B2 applicants in India,” Menendez said.
"But despite that progress this past year, India continues to face the longest wait times globally with average wait times for an appointment for the first time B1-B2 applicant ranging between 450 and 600 days. Could you please speak to me as to why that is the case? Why does it take up to 600 days for an adjudication?” Menendez asked during a hearing at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Have you looked at even perhaps a quad umbrella or bubble for some of these critical business relationships. My state just in Florida, it's estimated that USD 8 billion in trade conferences, events and visitors, that's 250,000 jobs are affected by these delays. So what are we doing to fix it?” Waltz asked.
Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter told the lawmakers at the two different Congressional hearings that the State Department is working hard on it and has taken several steps to address this issue.