Indians can get US visa appointments at consulates in other countries
The impossibly long waiting period just to get a US visa appointment for Indians has become frustrating. Currently, the waiting period just to get an appointment (not a visa) is around 800 days (nearly 3 years) at some centres.
Now, The US is aiming to reduce the delays in the processing of visas.
To solve the backlog problem, the US embassy in India has come up with a few solutions:
- Indians applying for a business or tourist visa will now be able to get appointments in consulates outside of India.
- For example, if you are in Thailand, you can apply for a US visa appointment at a consulate in Thailand. Currently, this is applicable to those applying for B1 and B2 visas.
Ø Initiatives to increase the US visa processing speed
The US has taken a range of initiatives to increase the speed of the processing of visas. These initiatives are:
- Scheduling special interviews for the applicants who have applied for the first time
- Earlier on January 21, the US Mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants.
Increasing the number of consular staff to reduce delays in visa processing
The US Department of State is also increasing the number of consular officers permanently assigned to the Embassy and Consulates. The US Mission in India released more than 250,000 additional B1/B2 appointments, according to the statement released by US Embassy in India.
Remote processing of the interview waiver cases for the previous US visas will also be implemented
The US Department of State has implemented remote processing of interview waiver cases for applicants with previous US visas. According to the statement, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase processing capacity between January-March.
