US must speed up process for issuing tourist visa, says top Indian official

New Delhi :  There is a need to expedite the "cumbersome" process of getting a US visa that Indian nationals face, to promote tourism between the two countries which enjoy a strong bilateral partnership, a top Tourism Ministry official said on Friday.

Suman Billa, Additional Secretary, Union Ministry of Tourism said, that although a US visa is valid for 10 years and does not require any frequent updates by a visa holder, the process of getting a visa for the world's largest economy is a cumbersome and tiresome process and to boost Indo-US tourism, swifter visa approval and more direct flights between India and the US is needed.

Speaking at the Indo-US Tourism & Hospitality Summit, organised by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce (IACC) here, Billa said: "I think the best thing about getting a US visa is that once you have it, it's valid for 10 years. So there's not a lot of repeat visitation that happens. But you have to really walk through fire to get that visa in the first place because there are long waiting times now and, you know, so there's a whole lot of disincentive for people wanting to travel."

He said that given the strong bilateral partnership and the growth in travel between the two countries, there is significant headroom for progress in this space.

Emphasising the need to introduce more flights between India and the US, Billa said, "The most important thing that we need to understand is that the lion's share of the market is actually going through third countries. So, it is the Middle Eastern market or the European market which is benefiting. It is those airlines which are carrying Indians into the US. If you are able to have direct flights, not only will, we make it more cost-competitive for people to travel both ways but we will also, add to the convenience of travelling into the US. And I think that for some reason, is not happening."

However, Jonathan M. Heimer, Minister Counsellor for Commercial Affairs, India, of the US Commercial Service said that over the past year, the pace of visa application processing has gained momentum leading to record visa issuances.

"On the backend for the application processing, we've been able to process something like 60 per cent more visas with more or less the same resources. And also we have issued more than 1.1 million visas in the last year, which for us, is a record and that's just going to continue to go up that number," Heimer added.

Addressing the event, the Attorney General of India, R. Venkataramani stressed the need for responsible tourism. He also emphasised that India would continue to play a role in building a cohesive and peaceful world, wherein tourism would be a key factor.