US embassy issues over 4.9 lakh non-immigrant visas

NEW DELHI: The US mission here has issued more than 4,90,000 non-immigrant visas during its fiscal year 2011 ending September 30, an increase of 4.3 per cent from last fiscal.

The non-immigrant visa category includes business, tourist, student and related visas, a release from the US embassy said today.

Responding to the booming growth in Indian visa applications in recent years, the US Mission to India, including the embassy here and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata, has greatly expanded its consular staffing, infrastructure and outreach, it said.

While the Consular staffing has increased 60 per cent in the past five years, the mission has recently invested more than USD 100 million in updating and expanding its consular facilities, it said, adding applicants may now choose to have their visa interview in languages like Bengali, Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu.

It also said that the Consulate General in Hyderabad opened in 2009 and in the very near future, the new consulate facilities in Mumbai will open their doors.