Washington, Oct 1 (PTI) An Indian-American member of the Presidential Commission for Asian-Americans has welcomed the move to release an additional 2.5 lakh visa appointments by the US Mission in India.

The US Mission in India opened the additional slots for travellers -- including tourists, skilled workers and students -- officials said on Monday.

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The recently released slots will help Indian applicants take timely interviews, facilitating the travel which is the backbone of the people-to-people ties that underpin the US-India relationship, they said.

Reacting to the development, Ajay Bhutoria -- a member of the President's Advisory Commission on Asian-Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) -- said on Monday, "This is the direct result of one of my recommendations submitted earlier on the White House AANHPI commission.

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"I am grateful to the US Embassy in India, particularly (US) Ambassador (to India) Eric Garcetti, for their dedicated efforts in addressing visa appointment wait times. The recent opening of 2,50,000 (2.5 lakh) additional appointments is a significant step forward in supporting Indian travellers, including families and students, seeking to visit the US. While this achievement reflects the positive impact of my recommendations to the White House AANHPI commission, we must recognise that more work remains (to be done)," he said.

As a commissioner, Bhutoria submitted key recommendations aimed at reducing visa appointment wait times and green card backlog reduction. These included increasing the number of visa appointments and exploring innovative solutions such as video appointments.

"I believe these steps will further enhance accessibility and efficiency in the visa process. I am committed to further advocating for improvements to ensure that the visa process becomes more efficient for everyone. Together, we can continue to build stronger ties between our nations," he said.

More than 12 lakh Indians have travelled to the US so far in 2024, a 35 per cent increase over the same period in 2023.

Garcetti said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden set an ambitious goal to improve and expedite the visa process and I am proud to say that we have delivered on that promise. Our consular teams at the embassy and four consulates work tirelessly to ensure that we meet the surging demand.

In 2023, the US issued more than 1.4 lakh student visas to Indians, which was more than in any other country, also setting a record for the third year in a row, according to figures released by the US Embassy and Consulates in India earlier this year.

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