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US to issue one million visas to Indians this year

US to issue one million visas to Indians this year

by | Mar 14, 2023 | Immigration

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Almost a month after opening up visa slots for Indian citizens over the weekends, the United States has now announced that it will issue visas to one million Indians this year.“The US Mission has already processed more than two lakh applications at our Embassy and Consulates in India and we’re on track to hit our goal of processing more than one million non-immigrant visa applications in 2023,” a spokesperson from the US Embassy. “Our goal is to process one million visa applications, which include non-immigrant visas of all categories,” the spokesperson added.

In 2022, the US Department of State processed around nine million non-immigrant visa applications worldwide, according to the Embassy.

The non-immigrant visa categories include those for business, travel, students visas and crew visas.

To achieve the target, the Embassy is adding more staff, expanding the scope of drop-box facilities and opening up interview slots over the weekend to smoothen the process for Indian citizens. The waiting time for visas has already decreased significantly.

In January, the US embassy opened up special interview slots on Saturdays for faster processing of visas for first-time applicants, in what it called a “multi-pronged initiative” to address the backlog in processing of visa applications due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The US mission, which has offices in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad besides the national capital, has also increased the strength of its consular staff, it said in a statement.

“The one million visa plan is an India-specific effort, to further strengthen the people-to-people ties between the two countries,” says the Embassy spokesperson.

For Indian citizens seeking a US visa, the purview of the interview waiver was also expanded recently.

The drop-box facility, which is used to renew a US visa without having to go through the interview, is now applicable to various categories, including student visas, business and tourist visas, and skilled worker visas.

The department is also increasing the number of consular officers permanently assigned to the embassy and consulates.

“By the summer, the US mission in India will reach its full strength and we expect to process visas at pre-Covid levels,” the department said.

While addressing the media in Washington a couple of weeks ago, Deputy Assistant Secretary for visa services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Julie Stufft, had said, “India is the number one priority now.”

She added, “So far this year, we have issued 36 percent more visas than we did before the COVID-19 pandemic in India. And that is a huge percentage of progress.”

Last month, the US Embassy in India said Indians who are travelling abroad can get a visa appointment at the US Embassy or consulate of their destination. It cited the example of Thailand, saying that the country has opened appointment capacity for B1 and B2 visas (business and travel) for Indians.

Indian startups breathe easy as withdrawal limit for Silicon Valley Bank lifted

Indian startups breathe easy as withdrawal limit for Silicon Valley Bank lifted

by | Mar 14, 2023 | Indian-American

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The move by the US regulator to calm markets by assuring troubled depositors of Silicon Valley Bank access to all their money is expected to provide some relief to startups, which have been scrambling to find ways to retrieve their deposits stuck with the California-based lender.

Siddarth Pai, founding partner at 3one4 Capital, estimates Indian startups’ exposure to SVB to be in the range of $2.5-3 billion. “The move has definitely given some comfort to startups, but the bigger question is whether founders will be able to transfer all their money out of the bank at one go and if the system will be able to support the withdrawal process. The backend infrastructure of the US banking system is not as robust as that of India’s,” he told, adding that large withdrawals may take place if no new management steps in.

For the time being, companies are feeling a little relieved. The founder of a local B2B startup backed by US technology startup accelerator Y Combinator said the announcement is favourable for startups and VCs. “Also, never has any depositor lost money in a bank run or failure. Even companies which had not prepared for such an eventuality would have survived after navigating a brief period of disruption. There are anyway lots of companies providing line of credit to startups now,” the founder said.

Minister of state for electronics & technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a tweet that with this move of the US government, looming risks to Indian startups have passed. “Learning for Indian startups from the crisis – trust Indian banking system more,” Chandrasekhar said.

Pai said at least 60 of India’s more than 100 unicorns are headquartered outside India. “Almost all the SaaS startups are based overseas. Y Combinator backs some 250 odd Indian startups, 90-95% of which are based outside India,” said Pai.

India Shines At Oscars: RRR’s Naatu Naatu, The Elephant Whisperers Win

India Shines At Oscars: RRR’s Naatu Naatu, The Elephant Whisperers Win

by | Mar 13, 2023 | Entertainment

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RRR came, saw and absolutely conquered the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Original Song – let’s be honest, was it ever not going to? – and there is no question of keeping calm and carrying on. The Oscars were awarded to composer MM Keeravaani, who sang a version of The Carpenters’ hit Top Of The World as his acceptance speech, and lyricist Chandrabose. The insanely viral track is from RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli and featuring actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR, all of whom attended the Academy Awards. Naatu Naatu beat a slate of heavy-weight competitors – Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Applause from Tell It Like A Woman.

It was the second win for an Indian film – The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short Subject. All That Breathes was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film – the Oscar went to Navalny.

After Naatu Naatu’s big win at the Oscars, members of the Indian film fraternity united to congratulate team RRR. Film legends Rajinikanth and Chiranjeevi, RRR stars Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Academy Award winning composer AR Rahman, actors Hrithik Roshan, Mahesh Babu were among the many celebs that extended their wishes after the film’s glorious victory.

Naatu Naatu’s global domination is now complete, having also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in January. The song was performed live during the Oscar ceremony by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and danced by Lauren Gottlieb. Deepika Padukone, the third Indian to attend as a presenter after Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra, introduced the performance.

MM Keeravaani and Chandrabose join a select group of Indians to have previously won Oscars – costume designer Bhanu Athaiya, composer AR Rahman, lyricist Gulzar, sound engineer Resul Pookutty, and legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray who received an honorary award. Naatu Naatu is the first Indian song – and RRR is the first Indian film – to have won an Oscar.

RRR, set in British India, has won hearts across the world – it’s running to full houses in Japan and recently held its largest screening yet in a Los Angeles cinema where the audience danced along to Naatu Naatu. The song, filmed outside the Presidential Palace in pre-war Kyiv, Ukraine, is an infectious dance battle between Ram Charan and Jr NTR’s characters, Raju and Bheem, versus their British counterparts. Raju and Bheem are the last men standing, sorry dancing, after their complicated routine bests their opponents.

know about the 2 Indian-American CEOs appointed to Biden’s advisory committee

know about the 2 Indian-American CEOs appointed to Biden’s advisory committee

by | Mar 13, 2023 | Indian-American

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US President Joe Biden on Friday named two Indian-Americans — Revathi Advaithi, CEO of Flex, and Manish Bapna, CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council — to the Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations.

On Friday, Biden announced his intent to appoint 14 people to the Advisory Committee, which provides overall policy advice to the United States Trade Representative on matters of development, implementation, and administration of the US trade policy.

Among these include negotiating objectives and bargaining positions before entering into trade agreements, the impact of the implementation of trade agreements, matters concerning the operation of any trade agreement once entered into, and other matters arising in connection with the development, implementation, and administration of the trade policy of the United States, the White House said.

Revathi Advaithi is CEO of Flex, “the global manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design and build products to improve the world”.

Since assuming the role in 2019, Advaithi has been responsible for architecting the company’s strategic direction and leading Flex through a transformation that is defining a new era in manufacturing, the White House said.

Prior to Flex, Advaithi was president and Chief Operating Officer for the electrical sector business for Eaton, a company with more than USD20 billion in sales and 102,000 employees.

She has also worked at Eaton’s electrical sector, Americas, and Honeywell, and serves on the Board of Directors of Uber and Catalyst.org.

Advaithi is a Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Advanced Manufacturing CEO Community and joined the WEF Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders.

She was recognized on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business list for four consecutive years and named one of Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in India. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology and Science and an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Manish Bapna is president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), which has been behind many of the most significant environmental milestones of the last half century — from the creation of bedrock environmental laws, to landmark legal victories, and foundational research, the White House said.

During his 25-year career, Bapna’s leadership roles have focused on tackling the root causes of poverty and climate change with strategies that are equitable, durable, and scalable. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of the World Resources Institute, a research organization focused on the intersection of the environment and human development, for more than 14 years.

An economist by training, he got his start at McKinsey & Company and the World Bank before pursuing a career in advocacy at the Bank Information Centre. He has master’s degrees in Business and Political and Economic Development from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from MIT, the White House said.

Arun Subramanian becomes 1st Indian-American judge at New York Court

Arun Subramanian becomes 1st Indian-American judge at New York Court

by | Mar 13, 2023 | Indian-American

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Arun Subramanian, an attorney, has been appointed as the first Indian American judge of the Manhattan Federal District Court in New York. The nomination of Mr. Subramanian for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York was first made public by US President Joe Biden in September 2022. The Senate confirmed the nomination of Subramanian by a vote of 58-37.

Here’s all you need to know about Arun Subramanian:

According to the statement, Mr. Subramanian earned his BA from Case Western Reserve University in 2001 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Columbia Law School in 2004. He has been employed since 2007 as a partner at Susman Godfrey LLP in New York. About a billion dollars have been successfully recovered over Mr. Subramanian’s career for both public and private institutions that had fallen victim to fraud and other criminal activity. Three years later, he earned his law degree from Columbia Law School as a James Kent & Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. He also served as executive articles editor for the Columbia Law Review.

Subramanian currently serves as Chairperson of Susman Godfrey’s 2022 Pro Bono Committee and is also a longtime Director of the Columbia Law Review, one of the Nation’s pre-eminent legal journals. Arun Subramanian was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979.