Good news for Indians seeking US visa: These new schemes will cut wait time for Indian visa applicants

Indians who are seeking approval for their visa for the United States are set to get it soon, as several new initiatives and schemes by the US are expected to cut down the wait time for all Indian applicants, as per official reports.

The US has decided to cut down the wait time for Indian visa applicants by stopping the delays in the process through initiatives such as scheduling special interviews for first-time applicants and increasing the strength of consular staff.

As part of the multi-pronged approach to cut the visa backlog, the US embassy in Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad conducted “special Saturday interview days” on January 21, as per PTI reports.

While confirming the launch of the new initiatives for Indian visa applicants, the US embassy said, “On January 21, the US mission in India launched the first in a series of special Saturday interview days, as part of a larger effort to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants.”

“The United States Embassy in New Delhi and Consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad all opened consular operations on Saturday to accommodate applicants who require in-person visa interviews,” it further added in its official statement.

The release further added that remote interview waivers will be conducted for those Indians who are not first-time US visa applicants. Further, additional slots will also be set up in several areas to speed up the process of the allocation of the visa.

Between January and March 2023, dozens of temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase visa processing capacity, it said. Apart from this, the US mission has decided to release more than 2,50,000 additional B1/B2 appointments, with B1 being a business visa and B2 being a tourism visa.