Over 1 million non-immigrant visas were issued to Indians in 2024. That includes a record number of visitor visas, the US mission in India revealed last week. This marks the second consecutive year of such high numbers, underscoring the huge demand of Indians for travel to the US.
According to the readout
“The US mission to India issued more than one million nonimmigrant visas for the second year in a row, including a record number of visitor visas, underscoring the huge demand of Indians for travel to the United States for tourism, business, and education,”.
Over two million Indians visited the US in the first 11 months of 2024. This is a 26% rise over the same period in 2023, according to the report. Also noted that the number of Indian visitors had climbed fivefold in the last four years.
According to the embassy, more than five million Indians currently hold nonimmigrant visas that allow them to go to the US. Mission issues hundreds more every day.
Upon their arrival, these immigrant visa holders became permanent residents. This also contributes to the already substantial and affluent Indian diaspora group in the United States.
H1B visa renewal in US
The State Department effectively implemented a pilot scheme this year that permitted H-1B visa renewals within the United States, the embassy added. This made it possible for a large number of Indian workers in specialized occupations to extend their visas without having to travel abroad.
It also said
“This pilot program streamlined the renewal process for thousands of applicants, and the Department of State is working to formally establish a US-based renewal program in 2025,”.
Record number of student visa mission stated,
“More Indian students than ever before now have U.S. student visas. In 2024, India became the top sender of international students for the first time since the 2008/2009 academic year with more than 331,000 students overall studying in the US.”
Additionally, it stated that for the second year in a row, India continued to be the top source of foreign graduate students sent to the US.
According to the readout, the number of Indian graduate students rose by 19% to about 200,000.
It also said
“These achievements over the past year are a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Mission’s staff and the enduring partnership between the United States and India,”.
