Getting a US visa has become easier in recent times, compared to the 1990s. In fact, the US Embassy processes 700,000 Indian visa applications every year, said Mr Donald Lu, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of US in India, at an interactive session organised by the PHD Chamber on Thursday.
“We want India to be more attractive so that a greater number of US companies invest here.
We should have more joint ventures and people-to-people interactions. It's no more one-way trade,” he said.
Indian investment in the US has risen 31 per cent to $4.4 billion in 2009, with many companies including the Mahindras, the Tatas and Wipro making greenfield investments.
“The retail and education sectors provide huge opportunities for foreign direct investment in the US,” said Mr Lu.
He said major investments by Indian companies include Jyoti Structures ($34 million), Wipro ($75 million) and UFLEX ($180 million).