Jaishankar raises visa delay issues with U.S.; Blinken says he is sensitive to it

Jaishankar did not specifically mention the H-1B visas issue during the joint press conference

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has raised the issue of the huge backlog of U.S. visa applications from India with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to which the top American diplomat said he is sensitive to the matter and has a plan to address it.

Mr. Blinken blamed the COVID-19 pandemic for a backlog of visa applications from Indian nationals.

U.S. visa services are trying to clear a backlog after Washington halted almost all visa processing worldwide in March 2020 due to the pandemic.

“It is also in our mutual interest to facilitate the development and mobility of talent. We agreed that impediments over this should be addressed,” Mr. Jaishankar told reporters on Tuesday during a joint media availability with Mr. Blinken at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the State Department in Washington following their over an hour-long meeting.

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“Bear with us. This will play out over the next few months, but we're very focused on it,” Mr. Blinken said in response to a question when asked about the historic delays in visa appointments that now runs into 800 days.

“On the question of visas, 'I'm extremely sensitive to this'," Mr. Blinken said.