Paperless visas for US applicants, US to scrap ‘stamps-on-paper’ system
The paperless visa system will roll out from this date.
Updated: Nov 30th, 2023
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| US Paperless Visa (img: IANS) |
The United States is set to roll out a paperless visa system for its visa applicants.
As per reports, a pilot project was run by the administration, which concluded successfully.
This saw the use of paperless visas granted to the applicants instead of the traditional ‘stamps pasted on papers’ system.
US positive with the pilot project results
Addressing the media, the deputy assistant secretary for US visa services in the consul office, Julie Stufft, said, “And I will highlight that we did our first small-scope pilot of a paperless visa, which means that the visa process is the same, but there is a – there’s no physical visa in someone’s passport.” She mentioned that it will probably take 18 months for it to be implemented though.
She adds, “In the future, as some other countries do, (we will) require an app or something that allows people to show their visa status without physical paper in their passport.”
Explaining the process, she said, “This is the paperless visa. It’s not processed electronically. Someone may still need an interview or to come and speak to a consular officer, but ultimately there will be no piece of paper.”
Stufft drew out the difference between the e-visa service that India carries out, stating that the paperless visa will require physical tests and interviews, but the visa will be granted online.
She mentioned that this facility was started as a pilot initiative with the embassy in Dublin, Ireland, as there is an airport facility there with US officials who could physically check and inspect the visas before someone boards a plane.
US Visa for Indians
The US is accelerating the pace of issuing visas in India, with more staff joining its Hyderabad consulate and new consulates to open up in Bengaluru and Ahmedabad soon, Washington’s Ambassador to New Delhi Eric Garcetti said on Nov 20.
Garcetti said the number of US visas that were being issued in India had gone up by one-third in recent weeks as part of the stepped-up drive to clear the backlog.
The US ambassador said the waiting time for US visas for students and tourists had come down, and it ranged from six months to a year, depending on which office the application was made at.
Reports emerged recently of the US issuing approximately 1.4 lakh student visas and around a record 10 lakh nonimmigrant visas to Indians from Oct 2022 to Sept 2023.
(With inputs from IANS)
