In a heartwarming turn of events, the US Ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, paid a surprise visit to the US Visa Counter in Delhi last Saturday, November 4. The visit was captured in a touching video shared by the US Embassy in India, which shows Garcetti’s genuine engagement with visa applicants.
The video, captioned with a touch of humour, reads, “The gang’s all here! Our consular team in New Delhi woke up early this weekend for a special ‘Super Saturday’ to meet the unprecedented demand for US visitor visas. We are processing additional visa applicants with the help of Ambassador Eric Garcetti, our special guest “fingerprinter”.
Adding to the celebratory mood, it was announced that the US Mission in India has exceeded expectations by processing over one million non-immigrant visa applications this year.
Garcetti’s visit served as a symbol of the close ties between the US and India and highlighted the dedication of the US consular team to meet the surge in visa demand.
India-US travel continues to thrive, with more than 1.2 million Indian visitors to the US last year, reinforcing the relationship as one of the world’s premier travel destinations. Indian applicants now account for over 10 per cent of all visa applicants worldwide, with 20 per cent applying for student visas and 65 per cent for employment visas in the H&L category.
