Chennai: With the number of Indians wanting to visit the US increasing by the day, the US has made the process of issuing visas easier. There has been an 18 per cent increase in the granting of visas per annum, and this year, over 2 lakh visas have been granted, which amounts to the issue of 1,500 visas per day. “Our goal is to facilitate legitimate travel to the US,” says US consular chief Lawrence Mire.
Speaking to reporters during an exclusive media tour of the US Consulate General Chennai’s Consular section here, he said upon entering the consulate the average applicant waited for about 25 minutes to receive his or her passport with the US visa, the entire process taking less than a week.“Every day, many people come to our Consulate who don’t need to. Applicants can check their eligibility easily on the visa application website,” he adds.
The US Consulate in Chennai has commenced recording all the 10 fingerprints of its visa applicants while announcing renewals without an interview. “Those who have got a visa after August 1, 2004 but before January 1, 2008 and submitted two prints have to make an appointment at our Chennai Visa Application Centre where fingerprints will be taken and drop off the renewal application,” he said.
