Wait time for US visa interview reduced by 60 per cent: Official

WASHINGTON: The wait time for a US visitor’s visa interview in India has been reduced by 60 per cent this year, a senior official has said, attributing it to the slew of measures taken by the Biden administration, including opening more diplomatic missions in India and abroad to process these applications.

India saw a major upswing in application of US visas after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted.

There have been growing concerns in India over the long waiting period for first time visa applicants, especially for those applying under B1 (business) and B2 (tourist) categories. The waiting period of first time B1/B2 visa applicants in India was close to 1,000 days in October last year.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Visa Services Julie Stufft says that visitor visa interview wait time has decreased by 60 per cent just in the last couple of months because of various efforts.

She told that the goal of the State Department is to get to 1 million visas issued this year.

“We have increased the number of officers going to India. We have set up arrangements, which is unprecedented, with other embassies in the world like Bangkok to take Indians who are seeking visas. We are opening a new consulate in Hyderabad... and we’re just focused on making sure that we can bring the wait time down in India,” she said.

Stufft noted that Frankfurt, London and Abu Dhabi have taken a lot of Indian citizens who are seeking visas.

“We have asked these missions to take Indians as if they were from their own host country. Especially in places like Bangkok where there is no visa required for Indians and it is a relatively short flight. Obviously this is not ideal. We want Indians to be able to apply in India, and that’s where we’ll get to,” she said.