Making every effort to reduce visa interview appointment time in India: US
Washington (PTI): The US is making every effort to reduce the waiting time for a visa interview appointment in India, a top State Department official has said, asserting that the visa processing is recovering faster than projected and is expected to reach pre-pandemic levels over the coming year.
Addressing the growing concern over the backlog of visa applications from countries like India, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Wednesday that he certainly understands the frustrations of those who have to wait for a long time.
As of November 2022, the median worldwide wait time for a tourist visa (B1/B2) interview appointment was about two months, and applicants with urgent travel needs who meet certain criteria can apply for an emergency appointment, usually available within days.
"Visa processing is recovering faster than projected and over the coming year, we expect to reach pre-pandemic processing levels," Price said.
The US issued more student visas in the fiscal year 2022 than in any year since 2016, he said, adding that its embassy and consulates in India in particular broke their all-time record for the number of student visas issued in a single fiscal year.
"We issued nearly 1,25,000 student visas. We recognise that some applicants may still face extended visa wait times, and we're making every effort to further reduce visa interview appointment wait times as quickly as possible in India and around the world, including for first-time tourist visa applicants," he said.
"I can tell you that it is a priority of the Secretary and of the Department to do everything we can to reduce that backlog and ultimately to reduce the wait times," he said.
He said the State Department was committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the US while safeguarding national security.
"We know that timely visa processing is essential to the US economy and to the administration's goal of family reunification. We've made great strides in recovering from pandemic-related closures and staffing challenges, but we're still working to respond to the significant demand for visa services," Price said.
He said the demand for visa services has only increased as pandemic restrictions have eased in countries across the world and people are looking for opportunities to travel to the US.
"We are successfully lowering visa wait times worldwide. We've doubled our hiring of US Foreign Service personnel to do this important work," he said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in his meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in September raised the issue of the backlog of visa applications from India to which the top American diplomat said he was sensitive to the matter and has the plan to address it.
The State Department has said in the past that has made great strides in returning to pre-pandemic visa processing levels and in reducing appointment wait times.
Indians make up a large proportion of the recipients of H-1B and other work visas granted to skilled foreign workers, many in the tech industry.
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise.
According to travel.state.gov reports on October 31, there is an average of 900+ days' wait time for appointments for visitors' visas (B1/B2), an average of 400 days wait time for students (F, M,J), and an average 300 days' wait time for petition-based temp workers like H, L, O, P and Q across the US consulates in India (Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata).
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Human Rights Watch says Israel's restriction of water supply in Gaza amounts to acts of genocide
New York, Dec 19: Human Rights Watch on Thursday accused Israel of causing the deaths of thousands of Palestinians by systematically restricting and targeting Gaza's water supply in a campaign that amounted to “acts of genocide”.
The rights group was the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas group, not Gaza's civilians.
In Thursday's report, HRW alleged that countless infants, children and adults have died from malnutrition, dehydration and illness as a result of actions by Israeli authorities over more than a year of war to deliberately cut the flow of water and electricity to Gaza, destroy infrastructure and prevent the distribution of critical supplies.
“As a state policy, these acts constitute a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. Israeli officials are therefore committing the crime against humanity of extermination,” the New York-based group said.
The rights group said that the “pattern of conduct” outlined in its report and statements from Israeli officials “may indicate" genocidal intent, but it did not come down definitively on one side. Under international law, proving intent is key in concluding whether the crime of genocide has been committed.
Israel, founded as a refuge for Jews in the wake of the Nazi Holocaust, strenuously denies such allegations. It says Hamas is responsible for the destruction in Gaza because the group hides and operates in schools, hospitals and residential areas. It says the October 2023 Hamas attack that triggered the war — the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust — amounts to genocide.
“Human Rights Watch is once more spreading its blood libels in order to promote its anti-Israel propaganda,” Israel's Foreign Ministry said. It claimed Israel has worked to facilitate the flow of water and humanitarian aid into Gaza throughout the war.
“Israel will continue to ensure humanitarian aid enters Gaza, in full compliance with international law,” the statement said.
The new report by Human Rights Watch outlined what the organisation described as an extended, methodical campaign by Israeli officials to deprive Palestinians in Gaza of water.
That has drastically reduced the water supply in Gaza, from about 83 litres per person each day before the war began to between two and nine litres in the months since, the human rights group says.
The World Health Organisation says people require 50 to 100 litres per day to meet basic needs and keep sickness in check.
Human Rights Watch said Israeli forces deliberately razed the solar panels that powered four of Gaza's six wastewater treatment plants and destroyed a key reservoir. The group alleged Israel also cut off electricity required to run desalination plants and other infrastructure and restricted fuel for backup generators.
When the International Court of Justice issued orders in January that Israel provide Palestinians with basic services and assistance, officials ignored them, the group alleged.
Human Rights Watch said its findings were based on interviews with more than 60 Palestinians, accounts from utility employees, doctors and other healthcare workers and aid workers, and analysis of satellite images, photos and video.
“Doctors and nurses told Human Rights Watch that they had seen numerous infants, children, and adults die from a combination of malnutrition, dehydration, and disease,” the group said.
In its statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry said it has continued the operation of four water pipelines as well as water pumping and desalination facilities, and allowed international aid groups to deliver water in tankers.
The Oct 7, 2023, attack by Hamas killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and took 250 others hostage. Israel's 14-month offensive has killed over 45,000 Palestinians, over half of them women and children, according to local health officials who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
The offensive has caused widespread destruction and displaced roughly 90% of Gaza's population, according to UN estimates, plunging the territory into a humanitarian crisis.
The UN and international aid groups say Israel has repeatedly restricted aid shipments into Gaza and done little to provide security inside Gaza to allow deliveries to reach their destinations. They say only a fraction of the amount of aid necessary to sustain life in Gaza is reaching Palestinians. The war has led to a breakdown in law and order, with armed gangs repeatedly stealing truckloads of aid.
HRW's report came two weeks after Amnesty International accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. Israel dismissed the allegation as as “entirely false and based on lies.”
Israel has previously refuted charges lodged by South Africa in the International Court of Justice that its forces have carried out inhumane acts in the embattled enclave. Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court is seeking the arrests of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for allegedly committing war crimes.
