U.S. Records Over 2 Million Indian Visits, Surpassing Pre-Covid Numbers — India Report
Photo Credit: Times Square in New York. Skift / Bulbul Dhawan
Skift Take
The US is keen to attract Indian travelers but knows that long visa wait times are a big hurdle. By working to speed up the visa process, it’s already seeing positive results.
Over 2 million Indians traveled to the U.S., between January and November 2024, as per the latest data from the U.S. International Trade Administration. This is 26% more than the same period in 2023.
Tourism levels also surpassed pre-Covid numbers. In the first 11 months of 2019, the U.S. received over 1.37 million Indians.
The U.S. Mission to India said last week that it issued more than 1 million nonimmigrant visas for the second consecutive year in 2024. As of September-end last year, at least 6 million people already held non-immigrant visas.
Ramped Up Visa Efforts: Without sharing numbers, the U.S. Embassy said that it issued a record number of visitor visas amid a “huge demand of Indians for travel to the United States for tourism, business, and education.”
It said that it has worked to increase processing of interview waiver-eligible non-immigrant visa applicants to make it easier for Indians to get visa renewals. This
