In an effort to expedite visa processing in India, the US has introduced new measures, including scheduling special interviews for first-time applicants and increasing the number of consular staff.
On January 21st, the US Embassy in Delhi and consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad held "special Saturday interview days" as part of a larger initiative to reduce wait times for first-time visa applicants. The mission will continue to open additional appointment slots on select Saturdays in the coming months.
"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 US embassy said on Sunday.
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"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 said in a statement.
Additionally, the US State Department has begun remotely processing interview waiver cases for applicants with previous US visas. In the first quarter of 2023, temporary consular officers from Washington and other embassies will arrive in India to increase visa processing capacity.
The US mission in India also released over 250,000 additional B1/B2 appointments and extended weekday operating hours at the Consulate General in Mumbai. While B1 is a business visa, B-2 is tourism visa.The goal is to be processing visas at pre-pandemic levels by the summer.
The US mission in India has made it a priority to facilitate legitimate travel as travel restrictions have been lifted. The mission has adjudicated over 800,000 nonimmigrant visas in 2022, with record numbers of student and employment visas. Wait times for visa interviews in India are now at pre-pandemic levels or lower.
The Consulate General in Mumbai, which adjudicates the most visa applications in India, is one of the largest visa operations in the world. The consular teams across India are working extra hours to meet the needs of international travelers and reduce wait times. This is part of a mission-wide effort to find innovative solutions to facilitate travel to the United States, according to Mumbai Consular Chief John Ballard.
