Ajit Karn
Even though efforts have been made to cut down on the backlog, the waiting time for a US visa appointment is still over 500 days in most of India. The US embassy in India said today that Indians who are travelling abroad can get a visa appointment at the US embassy or Consulate of their destination. Using Thailand as an example, it said that the country can schedule B1 and B2 visa appointments (travel and business).
“Are you going to another country soon? If so, you might be able to make an appointment to get a visa at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in the place you want to go. For example, @USEmbassyBKK has made B1/B2 appointments available for Indians who will be in Thailand in the next few months “India’s US embassy sent out a tweet.
The US recently started new programmes, such as setting up special interviews for first-time visa applicants and hiring more consular staff, to cut down on the time it takes to process visas. As part of a multi-pronged plan to reduce the number of people waiting for visas, the US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad held “special Saturday interview days” on January 21.
The US State Department has also set up a way for people who have already had a US visa to skip the interview process.
About two weeks ago, the US mission in India gave out more than 250,000 B1/B2 appointments.
A senior US visa officer recently told the news agency PTI that the US is “putting every ounce of its energy” into getting rid of the long wait time for visas in India. This includes sending a group of consular officers to the country and letting Indian visa applicants visit its embassies in Germany and Thailand.
Also read:- A massive explosion in Quetta, Pakistan leaves many injured
India was one of the few countries where the number of people applying for US visas went up a lot after travel restrictions were lifted because of the coronavirus.
People in India are getting more worried about how long it takes to get a visa for the first time, especially for those applying under the B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. In India, people who wanted a B1/B2 visa for the first time had to wait almost three years as of October of last year.
Do you have upcoming international travel? If so, you may be able to get a visa appointment at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate in your destination. For example, @USEmbassyBKK has opened B1/B2 appointment capacity for Indians who will be in Thailand in the coming months. pic.twitter.com/tjunlBqeYu
— U.S. Embassy India (@USAndIndia) February 3, 2023
