Over 100,000 slots in the United States will open in the next few weeks for applicants for H and L worker visas, especially for dropbox cases. Don Heflin, Minister Counsellor for Consular Affairs, US Embassy said that the interviews for US student visa in India will begin in mid-November.
The embassy will conduct the interviews from mid-November till the end of December for students. The appointment slots for the first half will open from mid-October and the rest around mid-November. Over the next few months, the embassy is also taking special measures to cut down the wait times for tourists and business people which is B1/B2. The current wait time for these visas is over 800 days.
Visa Appointment Wait Times in India
| Consulate | Visitor Visa | Student/Exchange Visitor Visas | All Other Nonimmigrant Visas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi | 833 | 430 | 390 |
| Mumbai | 848 | 430 | 392 |
| Chennai | 780 | 29 | 415 |
| Kolkata | 767 | 444 | 360 |
| Hyderabad | 582 | 430 | 219 |
It was announced that the slots will apply for F and M visas, while the priority line would be given to J visas. While addressing the backlog, Heflin said, “We will be able to go back to 100% staffing by this time next year” adding that the consulates and embassies will be able to process more visas in 2023.
B-1/B-2 visitor visas and H-1B and H-4 work permit visas have been hit by backlogs affecting the travel plans of thousands of Indians. Now traveling back to the USA from any country or India per se has become easy as it does not require any additional interview or visa stamp. The interview slots have been opened by the United States after a two-year pause.
Also Check: F-1 Visa interview questions
The US Embassy in India tweeted, “Visa appointments are now open for all categories! But because of high demand, wait times remain significant." The website of the US State Department states that to secure a visitor visa, the waiting period for Indians has gone up to 800 days. For student/exchange visitors and other non-immigrant visas, the waiting period is nearly 400 days.
Heflin said, “There are people in the United States on an H or L visa who haven’t been able to come back to visit families since Covid started, we sympathize with them.” He also said 1 lakh appointments would be opened for the the H and L worker visa categories in the "next few weeks".
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