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New US visa rules shorten waiting period for Indians, top things you need to know

In light of the fact that the current waiting time for a US visa in India is over 800 days, the US embassy in India announced on Sunday that Indian citizens travelling overseas may schedule a visa appointment with the US embassy or consulate at their destination. The US embassy has also taken steps, such as setting up priority interviews for first-time applicants and boosting the size of the consular personnel, to help with the backlog.

The United States is sending a team of consular officials to India and making its other foreign embassies, including those in Germany and Thailand, available to Indian visa applicants, according to a statement sent by the embassy to the news agency PTI.

The following are the top things you should know:

  • The United States Embassy in India said today that Indian citizens who want to apply for a business or tourist visa may do so at any of the United States’ embassies or consulates across the world.
  • Additionally, US consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad have begun holding “special Saturday interview days” to assist first-time applicants.
  • As the number of applications was low during the Covid pandemic, many employees at the US embassies were let go. 
  • The lifting of Coronavirus-related travel restrictions resulted in a major increase in visa applications from India.
  • A new round of hiring will be announced by the US by summer.
  • Thailand, for instance, is capable of issuing B1 and B2 visas, according to the embassy.
  • The application for renewing a US visa can be submitted through a dropbox. They won’t have to appear in person for another biometric evaluation since their biometrics have already been submitted to the US government.
  • The US embassy in Mumbai is preparing a multi-pronged approach to reduce the backlog of visas issued to Indian students this year.
  • In addition to increasing consular staff, the US has also announced special interviews for first-time visa applicants in an attempt to reduce the backlog in visa appointments.
  • Over 2,50,000 additional B1/B2 appointments were released two weeks ago by the US mission in India.

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Source: dnaindia.com