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.
PTI
