The increased demand of Indians to come to America is seen as a problem by some but is an “incredible opportunity” for the two countries to get even closer, US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti said on Monday.

“Deeper than the Pacific Ocean, wider than this entire globe, is the demand of Indians to come to America. Some see this as a problem. I see this as an incredible opportunity, an expression of the closeness that we have and the desire for us to get even closer,” Garcetti said at an event in New Delhi.

The comments made by the outgoing US Ambassador to India are important, given the growing concerns among Indians about US President-elect Donald Trump adopting stricter immigration policies that could result in fewer work visas.

Garcetti pointed out that over 5 million Indians currently hold US visas. “Since becoming Ambassador, we have increased our visas by more than 60 per cent, eliminated wait times for all visa types except for first-time visitor visas. For the second year in a row, we issued more than 1 million non-immigrant visas, including a record number of visitor visas. In fact, more than 5 million Indians currently hold United States visas,” he said.

In 2024, the US mission to India met the visa interview demand for all first-time student visa applicants, ensuring that every student could arrive on time and that their parents could feel calm about their child going to the United States, he added.

Garcetti heaped praise upon the Indian community in the US and said that they enriched the tapestry of America. “Indian students, and Indian-American immigrants are there helping run our world’s most important universities, our companies, and our research entities. They’re providing innovation and a record-strong tax base. They fill needs from rural medicine that can’t be met to small business operations that we have trouble finding employees. This makes America, in my opinion a better and stronger country,” he said.

Published on January 13, 2025