The previous yr noticed massive victories for worldwide visa operations.

The Division of State not too long ago supplied statistics summarizing its visa processing capability within the yr 2023. The current information exhibits large development in visa processing capability at Consular posts globally and gives a powerful outlook for visa processing within the yr 2024.

Within the yr 2023, the Division of State issued extra nonimmigrant visas at U.S. Consular posts and Embassies worldwide than at another time since 2015.

This included issuing a file of 10.4 million nonimmigrant visas globally, with greater than 1 million nonimmigrant visas issued in a single month throughout March of 2023.

Among the State Division’s accomplishments embrace:

• The reunification of households, with the issuance of 563,000 immigrant visas (IVs) in FY 2023, with 30 of its missions issuing their largest variety of immigrant visas ever.  Consular sections worldwide have lowered the general immigrant visa interview scheduling backlog by practically half, from practically 532,000 in July 2021, to simply over 275,500.

• Prioritizing scholar and tutorial change customer visa interviews to facilitate research at U.S. universities and schools. Consular sections issued 830,000 scholar and change customer visas in FY 2023, greater than in any yr since FY 2016.  Greater than 600,000 of these have been for college kids pursuing an schooling in the US, lots of them from nations sending file numbers of scholars. Of those numbers, practically 40,000 visas have been issued to African college students which set an all-time file.

• Report numbers of visas have been issued for seasonal agricultural and non-agricultural staff to facilitate the authorized and orderly stream of labor. A record-breaking 442,000 visas have been issued to H-2A and H-2B short-term staff in 2023, with practically 90 p.c of visas issued to staff from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. 

• A file variety of 365,000 nonimmigrant visas have been issued to airline and transport crewmembers (C1/D) that are important to sustaining worldwide transportation and provide chains that help the U.S. and world economies.

• Consular posts issued a file variety of 590,000 nonimmigrant and immigrant visas to high-skilled staff and executives in sectors starting from rising know-how to healthcare.  The State Division issued nearly double the variety of EB-3 visas in FY 2023 than in FY 2019.

• The State Division issued all obtainable Variety Visas in the course of the DV-2023 program yr to certified candidates from nations with low charges of immigration to the US.

• The Nationwide Vetting Heart dramatically lowered the variety of visa candidates who’re required to attend in administrative processing due to new know-how and enhanced inter-agency coordination.

Trying Forward

The State Division has mentioned that its aim is to cut back customer visa wait instances for candidates requiring in-person interviews particularly at U.S. Consulates and Embassies experiencing a excessive demand for appointments. New instruments and technological developments are at the moment being made to optimize the applying course of.

By 2024, the State Division hopes to chop down customer visa interview wait instances to lower than 90 days at greater than 90 p.c of its Consular posts abroad.

The State Division can also be persevering with its interview waiver coverage for a number of key visa classes of candidates, together with college students and short-term staff which are important to vital U.S. industries and provide chains. The Division’s interview waiver coverage was beforehand set to run out on December 31, 2023. Nevertheless, its implementation will proceed beginning on January 1, 2024, and stay in place till additional discover.

Moreover, candidates renewing nonimmigrant visas in the identical classification inside 48 months of the prior visa’s expiration are eligible to use for renewal, with out an in-person interview of their nation of nationality or residence.

International nationals are profiting from this streamlined renewal course of to obtain their visas quicker. The State Division estimates that 40 p.c of 10.4 million vacationers who obtained their U.S. nonimmigrant visas previously 12 months didn’t require an in-person interview because of the interview waiver coverage. This in flip helped open interview slots for different first-time candidates who want them.

Consular Posts with Lengthy Wait Occasions

Whereas nice enhancements have been made within the visa utility course of, the fact stays that some nations are dealing with visa demand that far outweighs the provision of interview appointments. For that cause, customer visa candidates should still be confronted with lengthy wait instances in sure nations with traditionally excessive ranges of visa demand.

To keep away from delays, the State Division encourages any visa applicant who can journey to a different Embassy or Consulate experiencing shorter wait instances to take action. The Division has mentioned that it acknowledges that there are causes for making use of anyplace appointments can be found, even exterior an applicant’s dwelling nation, and won’t drawback candidates who selected to take this route.

Home Visa Renewal Pilot Program for H-1B Nonimmigrants

The State Division additionally reminds candidates that will probably be launching its home visa renewal pilot program beginning January 29, 2024, by way of April 1, 2024. The pilot program will enable 20,000 certified H-1B nonimmigrant staff the chance to resume their visas domestically, with out requiring them to go away the US. Whereas this system is proscribed to H-1B staff, sooner or later, the Division plans to develop this system to extra short-term staff residing in the US permitting them to resume their visas domestically.

Moreover, after assessing the outcomes of the restricted pilot, the Division will decide learn how to broaden the home renewal program to an expanded pool of candidates and petition-based visa classes in 2024.

These are thrilling new developments that may absolutely cut back the immigrant and non-immigrant visa backlogs within the new yr and make it simpler for staff to resume their visas inside the US.

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