Indians planning to visit the United States may have to wait at least two to three years for a visa appointment. Yes, because according to the US State Department’s website, applicants for B-1 business visas and B-2 tourist visas in New Delhi will face an estimated wait time of 833 days, or more than two years, to get an interview appointment.
On Tuesday the U.S. Embassy in India announced that it has opened reservations for all visa categories. They added that wait times will remain long due to cutbacks in personnel and pandemic-related business disruptions. Indian Students Refused US Visas The First Time Unlikely To Get Second Interview Slot
This means that an applicant applying for a tourist visa will get an appointment only by January 2025. For Indian students, the waiting time for a US visa appointment is 433 days. If any student applies for a visa today, his/her interview will be scheduled for next year. Other types of non-immigrant visas are valid for 390 days.
Also read: 10 Mistakes To Avoid While Applying For A Schengen Visa
News Of US Visas Leaves Indian Citizens Furious
The US visa process is absurd and a complete embarrassment.
Many of my colleagues that I met in India last week confirmed that the nearest appointments are in 2024. https://t.co/Rwh9CFeQ4f
— Mark Birch, AWS Startup Advocate (@marksbirch) September 29, 2022
Never has India been treated with such disrespect by US. https://t.co/NlEsmvgAD2
— Zishan 🇮🇳 (@zishansays) September 29, 2022
China & Pakistan Residents Can Get US Visa Appointment In 2 Days
Indians are fuming because the waiting time at the Kolkata US consult is 767 days. And in Mumbai, it takes 848 days. Whereas, waiting time for visa applicants living in Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are shorter than those in Indian cities. The waiting time at the US Embassy in the Chinese capital Beijing is just two days.
In fact, for Pakistan, the waiting time for appointments at the US Embassy in Islamabad is only 1 day for student/exchange visas. The waiting period for a tourist visa is 450 days. Only Bangladesh has a large visitor visa backlog, as the applicants may have to wait more than 500 days for an appointment.
Also read: You Can Now Move To Germany With A Job Seeker Visa Without Employment In Hand
According to TOI S. Jaishankar, the foreign minister said he had raised visa-related issues for Indians in a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken. Brinken assured Jaishankar that the United States was committed to addressing these concerns.
Are you also concerned about your US visa appointments? Let us know in the comments below.
Cover image courtesy: Pixabay & Unsplash
First Published: September 30, 2022 12:31 PM