The number of Non-Immigrant USA visas issued to Indian Nationals increased by 4 times between 1997 and 2016. The number of student visas have come down by more than 16 percent in 2016.
Ever since the President of United States of America (POTUS) Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing a 120-day suspension of the refugee program and a 90-day ban on travel to the United States of America (USA) from citizens of Iraq, Iran, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Sudan, which was later struck down by the courts, there has been considerable anxiety and confusion among people from various countries who want to travel to the USA.
Even in India, both students and job-seekers are confused about their plans to go the USA. Data from the US Department of State indicates that student visas to Indian nationals were down 16 percent in 2016 while the total number of non-immigrant visas have gone up marginally by about 1.6 percent.
More Than Half the Visas Issued in India are B-1 & B-2
The following are some of the common visa categories in which visas are issued.
Business Visa (B-1): Consult with business associates, attend a scientific, educational, professional, or business convention or conference, settle an estate, negotiate a contract etc.
Tourism & Visit (B-2): Tourism, vacation (holiday), visit with friends or relatives, medical treatment, participation in social events hosted by fraternal, social, or service organizations, participation by amateurs in musical, sports, or similar events or contests etc.
Temporary Work Visa (H-1B): To work in a specialty occupation. Requires a higher education degree or its equivalent.
Dependent Visa (H-4): A dependent visa issued to immediate family members (spouse and children under 21 years of age) of the H-1B visa holders.
Student Visa (F-1): To enter the USA to attend university or college.
Intracompany Transfer (L): To work at a branch, parent, affiliate, or subsidiary of the current employer in a managerial or executive capacity, or in a position requiring specialised knowledge.
The above categories of visas accounted for more than 90 percent of the Non-Immigrant visas issued to Indian nationals between 2007 and 2016. More than 50 percent of the visas issued are in the B-1 & B-2 categories. H-1B accounted for 12.8 percent of all the visas while more than 9 percent of the visas were in the H-4 category. The student visas (F-1) accounted for 5.9 percent.
Rise in Number of Non-Immigrant Visas Issued to Indian Nationals
The total number of nonimmigrant visas issued to Indian nationals has increased by almost 4 times in the last 20 years, from 1997 to 2016. From 2.49 lakh non-immigrant visas in 1997, the number rose to 9.77 lakh in 2016. In fact, the number of visas have almost doubled from 2009 to 2016. Except for the decrease in 2002, 2005, 2008 & 2009, the number of nonimmigrant visas issued to Indian nationals has increased every year in the last 20 years.
In fact, the number of nonimmigrant visas issued increased by over 70 percent between 2012 and 2015, during Barrack Obama’s second term as the POTUS.
Trump effect – Student Visas down 16% in 2016
The impact of Trump’s presidency is most evident in the number of student visas issued by the US. In India, the number of student visas (F1) decreased more than 16 percent from 74831 in 2015 to 62537 in 2016. Even globally, the number student visas issued by US decreased by over 26 percent in 2016. Though Trump became the President only in 2017, the uncertainty and the elections in the US seem to have contributed to this decrease.
But this is not the only time that the student visas have decreased from India. In 2002, in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the number of student visas decreased by over 15 percent. The year 2009 saw the greatest decrease in the number of student visas to Indian nationals. This year saw more than 25% reduction in the number of student visas. In fact, Barrack Obama’s first term as the POTUS coincided with the worst times for student visas from India. The number of student visas decreased from 36149 in 2008 to 23446 in 2012. Surprisingly, Obama’s second term was the best ever for Indian students. The number of student visas increased almost 3 times from 23446 in 2012 to 74831 in 2015.
Chennai US Consulate Issued the Most Visas in the Last 10 Years
US Consulates in New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata & Mumbai issue US Visas. The consulate in Hyderabad started issuing visas in 2009. In the period between 2007 and 2016, the Chennai consulate issued almost 1/3rd of all the non-immigrant visas issued in India which is around 20.2 lakh visas.
The consulate in Mumbai issued 28.5 percent (17.32 lakh) of all the visas. The Delhi consulate issued 20.5 percent (12.45 lakh) visas followed by Hyderabad consulate which issued 13.05 percent (7.94 lakh) visas. The consulate in Kolkata issued only 4.8 percent of all the non-immigrant visas issued between 2007 and 2016.
(This article was published in an arrangement with Factly.)
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