We are opening next batch of student visas in two weeks: US Envoy Eric Garcetti
On the issue of backlog of visas for Indian students seeking to study in the US, Garcetti said an effort is being made to reduce the wait time
PremiumUS Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Monday that in the next couple of weeks, US Embassy in India will open up the next batch of student visas and the embassy is also assigning workers to focus on it as much as they can. “I think we will show that this year we will be able to go past the earlier numbers and get to an even higher number. The President has told me to reduce visa issuance time not just for students but also for first-time visitors," US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti on the issue of US student visa.
On the issue of backlog of visas for Indian students seeking to study in the US, Garcetti said an effort is being made to reduce the wait time and the US Embassy will be able to process them and get to even higher numbers than last year. "My goal as an ambassador is to think of five years and 20 years from now.
The president of the United States is very focussed on this too. He told me he wants us to focus on reducing visa wait times for not just students, but for first-time visitors and others," he said. Garcetti said in the last three months, the wait time was brought down by 60 per cent from where they were in December. He said in the coming year, he will bring the wait time down.
"Indian students are so great for America. They are great for our universities, they are great for our commerce. Look at the number of Indian-born CEOs of great companies based in America. It is good for the American economy, it's great for the Indian economy, and it's just good for civilisation too," he said.
Garcetti said when he came to India at the age 14, the trade between India and the US was just two billion dollars. "Today, it is over 100 billion dollars and it (US) is the number one trading partner with India. Back then, there were no defence cells, zero dollars, and now we are an important part of a mutual strategy to keep our people safe and protect the Indo-Pacific region together," he said. Cultural exchanges and influence the people of the two countries have on one another through Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood show the rich and deep ties between the two countries, he said.
*With agency inputs
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