Almost 3 Years Wait for Indian Applicants For B1/B2 US Visa

New Delhi: B1 (business) and B2 (tourism) visitor visa applicants to the United States will have to wait about three years, and applicants in India will have to wait around 1,000 days to get their applications cleared. According to information on the US State Department website, the waiting period for a B1/B2 visa interview is 961 days (as on November 23). Earlier this month, the State Department declared its dedication to enabling lawful travel to the United States while preserving national security.

The waiting period is 999 days for Mumbai residents and 994 days for Hyderabad residents. According to the State Department website, residents in Chennai will have to wait 948 days for an appointment, whereas Keralites will have to wait for 904 days.

“The estimated wait time to receive an interview appointment at a US Embassy or Consulate can change weekly and is based on actual incoming workload and staffing. These are estimates only and do not guarantee the availability of an appointment,” according to the website of the State Department.

When S. Jaishankar, the foreign minister, visited the US in September, he brought up the backlog in visa applications with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The senior US ambassador declared that he is “extremely sensitive” to the problem and that there are parallel challenges around the world brought on by Covid.

The State Department reported last week that US visa processing is recovering more quickly than anticipated and is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in the Fiscal Year 2023.

It explained the delays by stating that numerous US visa applicants must physically appear before officials due to local legislation. However, they were limited in their ability to observe visa applicants due to local pandemic prohibitions on open spaces, such as their overseas consular offices.