The United States has opened an additional 2.5 lakh visa appointments for Indian travellers, including tourists, skilled workers and students, the American embassy said on Monday.

The new slots are expected to help cut the wait time for applicants from India, the embassy said.

The country’s diplomatic missions in India have processed more than 10 lakh non-immigrant visa applications for the second consecutive year. They had processed a record 14 lakh visa applications of Indians in 2023.

Besides the embassy in Delhi, the United States has its consulates in Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

In November 2022, the wait time for visa appointments for Indians had increased to about two and a half years, especially for those seeking a B1 (business) or a B2 (tourist) category visa.

The US Department of State had said that several applicants were required to appear in person under the country’s law, which was not possible due to local restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic. This led to a backlog of visa applications and increased wait times.

Travellers from India accounted for one-tenth of all United States visa applicants in 2023. Indians are also the largest group of international graduate students in the North American country.

More than 12 lakh Indians have travelled to the United States in 2024 so far, which is 35% more than the same period last year, the embassy said on Monday.

At least 60 lakh Indians already have non-immigrant visas that permit them to visit the United States and “thousands more” are issued every day, it added.